Never Had A Dream Come True
by sukistrawberry2468
Summary: Rini Ikumi comes to Ouran from a world of tragedy and pain; but when she stumbles into the chaos of the Host Club, she finds herself caught between the affections of two of the most enigmatic boys at Ouran - the Cool Type, and the Stoic. M/OC, K/OC
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Ouran, Rini Ikumi!

**Hello, FF Readers! Welcome to another story about the Ouran High School Host Club! I love this series and am greatly anticipating the English-dubbed version of the second half of Season One, which comes out in January. In the meanwhile, while I adore every single one of the Host Club members, one of my favorites is Mori, so this is a story that focuses a lot around him. Another character I'm really interested in is Kyoya, so I'm thinking...a little drama...plenty of classic Host Club pranks...and a new girl thrown into the school who turns their world completely upside down! The Ouran Host Club will never be the same! Especially not Mori, who may finally find someone that understands him and loves him as unconditionally as Honey.**

Episode One, Part One: Welcome to Ouran, Rini Ikumi!

A chilly wind swept through a cluster of cherry blossoms, abruptly sprinkling them onto the ground. A few feet away from the tree, Rini Ikumi shivered and clutched her worn, slightly threadbare jacket tight across her chest. She stared up at the stairs, her knees quaking with trepidation.

Though it was quite an accomplishment to be accepted into the prestigious Ouran High School halfway through the year, she couldn't help feeling terrified at the prospect of attending such a place. Only students from wealthy families went here…except for the occasional public school student who was bright enough to win a scholarship. There had been two available this year – one had already been taken when Rini applied, but fortunately, due to her financial circumstances and after much debate, the other had gone to her.

She took a deep breath, and then nodded her head firmly, as if she were giving herself a private pep talk. _You can do this. For Papa – and for Yuki. _After pressing the small charm on her necklace to her lips for extra strength, she tucked it into her shirt and hurried up the stairs. She grabbed the handle and opened the front door, and stepped into what felt like the beginning of a new chapter of her life.

The inside of the school was beautiful. Even though she'd seen it the day before when she'd checked in at the superintendent's office to receive her schedule, she still couldn't believe that kids actually attended high school here. It was like a mansion – or better yet, a palace.

She smiled to herself. _I wonder if there are any knights in shining armor here._ Then she sighed. _Silly me – I must be dreaming again._ She made a mental note not to wish for something so unrealistic in the future. She was here to study and work hard, so that she could have a good job and help out her Father and younger brother, Yuki. That was her number one priority – they were the most important people in her life right now, and she couldn't afford to get distracted.

As she walked through the hallway, clutching her schedule in her hand, she saw from the clock tower that the lunch hour was almost over. A spark of nervousness lit up inside her – she needed to find her class quickly, so that she could talk to the teacher beforehand and figure out what she needed to do to catch up with the rest of the class. She was already a semester behind, after all.

But the school was large and confusing. Soon, Rini found herself hopelessly lost. Wandering down a hallway, she tried her best to keep herself together. But she felt distraught that it was only her first day, and already, so many things had gone wrong.

This morning, she had been planning to wear her thick winter stockings, but then she'd found a huge hole behind the knee, and then she'd spent too much time worrying about getting dressed to grab a bite to eat…during the hour-long subway commute, she'd discovered that she didn't have enough money for the return ride home, so she'd left a message on her Father's cell phone that she needed a ride home after school.

To add to her humiliation, she'd tripped coming off of the subway and spilled her books and pencils everywhere. No one had stopped to help her pick them up, but she had been too embarrassed to want help from a stranger anyway. She was always extremely clumsy when she was nervous. She hadn't been when she was young – it had developed over time, getting worse and worse every year.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she took another deep breath, trying to pull herself together. She stared down at the piece of paper clutched in her hand. Was she directionally challenged? She could've sworn that the classroom was to the right –

"Hey, there…are you looking for something?"

Rini looked up, startled. She hadn't heard anyone coming. And yet, there was a boy – a very attractive, young-looking boy – walking over to her from down the hall. He was alone – immediately, Rini's breath caught in her throat.

The boy smiled encouragingly. "Are you new? I don't think I've seen you here before."

Rini, remembering her manners, fought down her nervousness and returned the smile as best she could. "Hai…um, I just arrived here yesterday. I'm Rini – Rini Ikumi. I-I'm here on scholarship from the school." She bowed low, clasping her hands in front of her as she'd been taught to do to make a good impression.

The boy's smile brightened. "You're a scholarship student here? So am I!"

"Oh!" Immediately, Rini felt relieved that the first student she'd met here wasn't someone rich and intimidating. This boy came from a regular background, just like her. Smiling more naturally, she bowed again and said, in her happiest, more cheerful voice, "It's very nice to meet you! Um…oh…" Rini's cheeks grew red as she realized she'd made a mistake. "I'm sorry…um, I don't know your…"

"That's all right." The boy beamed at her. "My name's Haruhi Fujioka – you're a first-year too, right?"

"Hai," Rini said, her face still flushed pink. "Um, I was wondering, do you think you could tell me…where this room is?" Ducking her head in embarrassment, she held the school map out to Haruhi and pointed a tentative finger at the room number.

Haruhi laughed. "That's my classroom – I was just on my way back. How about we walk there together? Lunch is almost over, and you'll probably want to talk to the teacher before class starts."

"Hai," Rini said, unable to believe her good luck. "Oh, uh, arigato gozaimasu, Haruhi-san."

"No problem." Haruhi gave Rini another encouraging smile. The two of them started walking down the lengthy hallway, and then turned into a classroom on the right. Rini scolded herself mentally for almost losing it earlier – it had been just a few steps away the entire time.

Haruhi led her over to the middle of the classroom and, with a gesture toward the desk that sat directly behind his, said to Rini, "You can sit here if you want – and the teacher's right up there talking to – oh, good grief-" Haruhi suddenly stopped, a frown creasing his otherwise flawless face, "-what are those morons up to now?" Confused, Rini turned to see who Haruhi was talking about.

It took Rini a moment – and a quick blink or two to make sure she wasn't seeing things – to realize that the two boys lounging against the teacher's desk were identical twins. From the number of buttons unbuttoned on their school uniforms, to the way their smiles curved upward into mischievous grins, they looked exactly the same. She'd never seen two boys that were so attuned to each other – they even spoke at the same time – as they were. However, as Rini tired to make sure she wasn't suffering from double vision, one of the boys suddenly caught Rini's eye. Embarrassed beyond belief – on account of the fact that the boys were also extremely attractive - she immediately looked down at the ground, and focused on setting her books on top of her new desk. In front of her, Haruhi let out a sigh.

"Well, I guess they'd have met her sooner or later," Haruhi grumbled, seemingly to himself. He turned back to Rini and said casually, "Don't let Hikaru and Kaoru scare you, okay? Once you get to know them, they're really not so bad."

"Oh, well, um…it's okay-"

"Haaarruuuuhhiiii…"

An arm snaked its way around Haruhi's shoulders. At the same time, another arm crossed in the opposite direction. Each placing a hand on their hip, the twins crossed their legs and leaned their heads down conspiratorially toward Haruhi, the perfect image of two grinning Cheshire cats. Haruhi, who was trapped in the middle, rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Haruhi, who's your new friend?" they asked at the same time, grinning over at Rini. Rini noticed Haruhi's irritation, and immediately set to inconvenience him as little as possible by introducing herself. She spoke tentatively.

"Oh, um…I'm Rini…Rini Ikumi," she said, hurrying to bow even lower than she had before. Once again, she was incredibly nervous. The twin on Haruhi's left shoulder made a noise of approval.

"What a cute little blondie," he said, nudging his twin. "Don't you think so, Kaoru?"

"She is cute," the one on the right agreed. "And not full Japanese either, is she, Haruhi? Are you half-French, little blondie?"

"Guys, she just got here," Haruhi said though gritted teeth. He shot an apologetic glance at Rini, and then explained, "Rini's a transfer student who's on scholarship, like me."

"You mean she's another commoner?" one of them exclaimed. Haruhi grumbled incoherently.

"It's not like everyone who's not as rich as you guys is dirt poor, Hikaru," he said testily.

"But little blondie here definitely is," the one called Hikaru said. "Look at her jacket – it's worn out at the elbows."

"Seriously, knock it off," Haruhi complained.

"Aww, Haruhi, we're just teasing," Kaoru said, pinching Haruhi's cheek affectionately. Haruhi knocked his hand away and escaped out from under them. Hikaru and Kaoru straightened, and then, simultaneously, took a giant step toward Rini and began speaking to her directly.

"Welcome to our class, Rini Ikumi," Hikaru said. "I'm Hikaru, and this is Kaoru."

"We're the Hitachiin twins. Pleased to meet you," Kaoru said. Both of them were still grinning cleverly. "So how did you run into our friend Haruhi?"

Rini, flustered at their close proximity – they made her much more uncomfortable than Haruhi had – stuttered a little as she said, "Oh, I-I got lost trying to find my way to c-class."

Kaoru clucked his tongue, looking at Rini fondly. "Aww, look at her, Hikaru. Wouldn't she look adorable as a blonde Lolita?"

"She would," Hikaru agreed. "Or a French maid. Tell us, are you actually French, little blondie?"

"Um, no, actually I'm, uh, Swedish," Rini corrected. Her voice barely rose above a squeak. "From my Father's side. My mother was Japanese."

"Ahhh…" Hikaru said, smiling deviously, "That explains your pale skin-"

"-and your blue eyes," Kaoru added. "Still, you would look adorable in a French maid outfit."

"Oh, um…well…I don't know…" Rini met their eyes hesitantly. "Well, I mean…I can cook. And I do know how to make tea..."

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at her. Blushing furiously, Rini realized how stupid she'd sounded.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, "I'm very sorry, I- oh!" Rini started as the bell suddenly rang, ending the period for lunch. She just remembered she had to go talk to the teacher. "Please excuse me!" With a whirl of blonde hair, she hurried past the dumbstruck twins and up to the front of the classroom.

Kaoru and Hikaru stared after her for a moment. Then Hikaru jumped over the desk in front of Haruhi so that he could sit on the other side of her, and Kaoru settled into his own seat. Both of them leaned in to address Haruhi. Haruhi was looking at Rini. Her expression was quite unreadable.

"Whatcha think, Haruhi?"

From what the twins knew about Haruhi, she was amazingly perceptive. She had a sort of quality that allowed to her look at people more closely than either Kaoru or Hikaru really did. It was partially due to her own effort – because despite her usual state of annoyance, she was extremely kind – that she could see beneath the surface of people, but it was also something that came naturally. It was what made it easy for her to talk to people, and to say things that would soothe them.

Haruhi was jolted out of her reverie. She glanced at the twins inhospitably. "About what?"

"About the new girl," Hikaru pressed.

"About little blondie," Kaoru insisted.

"Is that her nickname now or something?" Haruhi asked, rolling his eyes.

"So whataya think about Ri-chan?" they plowed on. Haruhi glanced up at her again. She was still talking to the teacher, and even from here, she could tell she was apologizing for something.

"Hmm."

The twins watched Haruhi carefully. But to their slight disappointment, she ignored their request and began shuffling her note books and taking out a pencil. Hikaru snorted, and leaned away.

"Fine," he said.

"Be all secretive," Kaoru said. The two of them crossed their arms and legs and pouted. Haruhi ignored them.

Because at the moment, she couldn't care less what they were thinking. Her thoughts were on Rini. She was thinking about the moment that she had first seen Rini out in the hallway, just before she'd asked her if she was lost. She'd been framed against the tall window, the whitish sunlight pouring on her face…and she'd looked…

Very sad. Profoundly sad. So much so that Haruhi wondered if, at that moment, Rini had been remembering something tragic.

-----------------------------------------------

The last bell echoed throughout the school, signaling the end of the day. Rini was relieved. Even though she was confident she'd be able to catch up on her schoolwork, she knew she should get started right away. Quickly, she began to gather her things.

"Um, thank you so much for all your help, Haruhi-san," she ventured tentatively. Haruhi looked back over her shoulder and flashed her a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he said naturally.

"And, um, arigato, Hikaru and Kaoru," Rini added. The twins looked rather taken aback. It seemed that, given their harassment and teasing, they hadn't expected any thanks.

"What for?" they demanded.

"Well…" Rini blushed lightly. "…for making me feel so welcome." As the twins stared at her silently, Rini realized she must've sounded presumptuous. Maybe this was their normal behavior, and she'd assumed that they'd done something special for her. Ashamed, she flushed an even deeper hue. "Oh, I'm sorry-" she said, yet again. She scooped up her books and made to hurry past them. "Please excuse me-"

But her elbow accidentally knocked into the stack of books piled on Hikaru's desk, and sent them crashing to the floor. Papers flew everywhere, and a few pencils rolled off under Haruhi's desk.

Rini gasped. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm so sorry!" She felt a burning sensation in her throat, and she flung her books onto another desk and immediately bent down and started to pick up.

Slowly, Hikaru joined her on the ground. "It's okay." He looked quite taken aback by her reaction. In his opinion, she looked positively traumatized. "It's not a big deal-"

"No, it's all my fault! I need to be more careful!" Rini's voice sounded like she was on the edge of tears. Above her, Kaoru and Haruhi looked just as shocked by her overreaction as Hikaru. As they watched her, she kept her head bent so low that her corn silk hair swung in her face and obstructed their view of her. Fumbling, she tried to gather up everything as quick as she could.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, finally pressing Hikaru's books into his confused hands. She turned away quickly before Hikaru could get a good look at her face and see if she actually was about to cry.

Rini gathered her things again and, with the air of someone escaping prison, flew out of the room. Haruhi and the twins stared after her.

"What was that all about?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru shrugged uncomfortably. "I dunno."

"She looked really upset," Haruhi said. Her brow furrowed in concern.

"I told her it wasn't a big deal," Hikaru said defensively. Haruhi, seeing that Hikaru looked truly unnerved by this turn of events, sought to calm him down.

"It wasn't your fault. She didn't have any reason to be afraid. Unless…" But, as before, Haruhi didn't disclose her inner thoughts to the twins, and they were left to gawk at her as she finished packing her things. Finally, she noticed them staring, and said in a more normal, annoyed tone, "C'mon, guys, if you don't hurry we're going to be late for the Host Club."

**In order to introduce all of the Host Club members, I've split the first "Episode" into three parts. If you read this first part and you like it, please send me a review! It is always so encouraging to get feedback from you readers, and I want to know if there's anything I can improve or if any of you have suggestions for furthering the plotline. If not, then I simply thank you for reading!**

**Till Episode One, Part Two,**

***~Suki~***


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Shadow King

**Hey there, Everybody! So a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! It's so motivating to get reviews, I think it's one of the best things about writing fan fiction! I hope that everyone enjoys Episode One, Part Two, and learns a little bit more about Rini's situation (but not too much because that would give away some of the drama, lol).**

**BTW, I forgot this last chapter: DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. But I do own my OC's, including Rini Ikumi and her relations.**

Episode One, Part Two: Meeting Tamaki and the Shadow King

Rini stood outside the classroom by the far wall, her knees shaking. She couldn't believe how ridiculously clumsy she was. And this only happened when she was in a hurry or stressed – when she served tea at home, she never dropped anything. Except for that one time…when she was young, and they'd received that first, dreadful phone call about her mother…

_Ring ring!_

Rini jumped. She realized she'd forgotten to silence her cell phone this morning. Grateful that no one had called during class, she took the phone out of her pocket and flipped it open hastily. It was her Father.

"Hello, Papa!"

"Listen, sweetheart, I can't come and pick you up right away – my boss isn't letting me off early today because I took off yesterday."

"Oh! But you couldn't help that!" Rini tried to sound forceful, but her tiny voice was rather weak. "Yesterday we had to go take Yuki to the-"

"It doesn't matter." Her Father sounded exhausted. Rini desperately wished his job were easier. Better yet, she wished that she could have a job of her own, but her Father refused to let her get one. He always told her that school was more important, and that she needed to concentrate on her studies.

"Besides," her Father said, "I need to make up the hours anyway." Rini knew he was trying to be optimistic for her. "I promise I'll call when I'm on my way. I should only be here a few more hours."

"…okay, Papa." Rini knew that it was for the best – after all, it was her own fault for forgetting to bring money. "Have a good rest of the day at work. Don't try to do too much."

She heard her Father laugh quietly. "You're such a good mother, Rini. How was your first day at Ouran?"

"Oh! It was wonderful," Rini said, working to keep her voice light and cheerful. "I met a few boys today, and they-"

"-what's that?" Rini stopped as she realized her Father was talking to someone in his office. She waited, just barely able to hear her Father and his co-worker as they talked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Hitachiin twins, as well as Haruhi, exit the classroom. Haruhi's eyes met hers.

"Rini, honey? I have to go to a meeting now. I'll call you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, Papa. I love you," Rini said.

"Love you too."

The phone disconnected. Staring down at the ground, Rini slowly put it away, wondering what exactly she was going to do for the next few hours while she waited for her Father to get off work. Maybe she could go to the library…after all, it would be a good idea to start catching up with the rest of her class.

"Hey, Ri-chan!"

Rini looked up. The three boys hadn't left yet. Hikaru was the one who had spoken.

Kaoru asked, "Are you going home now?"

Rini shook her head. "Papa can't come pick me up until later on. He has to work later today, and…well, I forgot my money for the subway." She hung her head in shame. She felt so stupid, telling the wealthy twins that she didn't have enough money. Typical that she should look even more financially woebegone in front of them.

Haruhi, who had been looking at her sympathetically, suddenly brightened and said, "Hey, I've got an idea – why don't you hang out with us for a while?"

The twins looked at each other. "Uh, Haaarrruuuhhiiii…"

Haruhi looked up at them. "What?"

Hikaru, with a glance over at Rini, asked in an exaggerated stage whisper, "Is it okay-?"

"-if she finds out your secret?" Kaoru finished. Haruhi rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't planning on telling her anyway, but even if she did find out, it doesn't matter to me," he said irritably. "Sorry," he added to Rini, "it's just that, well, we're all part of the Ouran High School Host Club, and well, I'm a little different than everyone else."

Rini, determined now to make up for the accident in class, returned the smile and said shyly, "Um, well, if it's not too much trouble, I would really like that. I've, um, never been to a real Host Club before."

"Trust me, you're not missing much," Haruhi muttered, seemingly to himself again. Hikaru and Kaoru elbowed him in the ribs.

"Nice going, Haruhi!"

"You got Ri-chan to come hang out with us!"

"This way, little Ri-chan," Kaoru said, gently touching the middle of her back and guiding her down the hallway. "We're in the Third Music Room!"

"No one ever used it before we took over," Hikaru informed her, while Haruhi followed behind. "But now we use it for all of out Host Club activities."

"Oh…r-really?" Rini asked. Hikaru smirked.

"You know, I'll bet we really do have a maid's outfit in there somewhere," he said slyly. "We could make her wear it and serve us tea!"

"Great idea, Hikaru!"

"Guys, seriously," Haruhi groaned. By now they had reached the far hallway and were approaching the Third Music Room. As if by gut instinct, Rini clutched her books tighter to her chest.

Hikaru and Kaoru graciously opened the doors and bowed Rini and Haruhi inside. "Ladies first," they said, grinning mischievously. Puzzled, Rini let Haruhi usher her through the doors and into the music room. Haruhi shot the twins a nasty glare.

Two boys were already occupying the room, sitting across from each other with a coffee table wedged between them. With her heart thudding uncomfortably loud in her chest, Rini realized that these two boys were not only second-year students, but also, once again, incredibly attractive.

Rini couldn't believe it – how could she have come face-to-face with so many good-looking guys in one day? It wasn't as though handsome guys didn't look at her…but she didn't like to think about the last time that had happened…

At the sound of the door opening, they both looked up. The one on the left side of the table – graceful, blond, and angelic-looking – beamed at them as they walked in.

"Haruhi! I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Hey, Tamaki-sempai," Haruhi said. He gestured to Rini, whose knees had begun to quake again. She didn't like being the center of attention. "This is Rini Ikumi – she's a scholarship student, like me. Is it okay with you guys if she hangs out here until her Dad comes and picks her up?"

Tamaki surveyed Rini for a moment – his eyes, quite as beautiful as the rest of him, were full of a kind of innocent curiosity. Then, very slowly – it seemed to take a while for it to register – he smiled wide, and burst out happily, "You mean she's another _commoner?_"

"Sempai!" Haruhi looked almost angry. "You don't just go around calling people commoners!"

"But Haruhi, isn't it wonderful?" Tamaki sprang up gracefully from the sofa, deftly plucking a red rose out of the vase sitting on the table. Twirling the stem in his fingers, he glided over to Rini and Haruhi and proclaimed, "You've finally found someone of your own kind! Two peas in a pod, two lost puppies in a wide and lonely world! Two poor people, trapped in a cage where wealth and privilege are all that matter, and to bring a sack lunch to school is to say that you don't have enough money for decent food!"

"I bring a sack lunch every day, and it tastes fine," Haruhi growled. Abruptly, Tamaki swooped down on Haruhi. His hands grabbed his face, and he leaned down so that he was mere inches away from Haruhi.

"Oh, but of course your cooking is the exception, Haruhi," Tamaki said gallantly. "I would never criticize the fine culinary skills of my most beloved _daughter._"

"Sempai!" Haruhi's eyes darted over to Rini. "You imbecile! She doesn't know about-"

"Um, wait…" Rini tried to intervene before Haruhi could say anything else – Tamaki looked devastated that Haruhi had gotten mad at him and called him an "imbecile." The rose seemed to practically wilt in his hand. Nevertheless, Haruhi paused when Rini spoke, and Rini was able to venture tentatively, "It's all right…it sort of seemed that way anyway. That you were a girl, I mean. Because of the way you spoke, and how nice you were to me, I mean."

Rini prayed that she hadn't just insulted Haruhi, but she didn't want Haruhi to be mad at Tamaki for giving away her secret. Fortunately, Haruhi didn't look insulted – just shocked. In fact, everyone in the room looked completely flabbergasted that Rini had suspected Haruhi was a girl – everyone except for the boy sitting on the couch. During the entire exchange, he hadn't done much more than push his glasses up his nose and smirk knowingly at every one else's reactions.

Now, since the room was finally silent, he piped up from his spot on the sofa. "I assume you've realized by now, Rini Ikumi, that Haruhi is a particularly special member of this Host Club?"

Rini turned to him. He looked perfectly relaxed, with his arms resting against the back of the sofa and his cool eyes surveying her behind his flashing lenses. Rini's throat clenched. Something about him seemed very impersonal – and intimidating. It wasn't that his voice was cold – for in fact, he had sounded quite friendly and obliging – but rather, she could sense that something else was there. Something that wasn't quite so inviting. Or maybe something that was a bit unforgiving.

Not to mention his black hair, long limbs, and mysterious, dark eyes made him quite attractive, which always caused Rini to act like a complete deuce.

Rini stammered, "H-hai, I did. I-I won't tell anyone about her, I promise-"

"A wise choice," he said. "In the meanwhile, please enjoy your stay here at the Host Club. By the way, I'm Kyoya Ootori, the Club's Vice President. Tamaki Suoh is our President."

Rini felt her stomach drop out of her body. Kyoya Ootori? Was that his name? No, it couldn't be…but before she could jump to any conclusions, Tamaki stepped up to the plate.

"Pleased to meet you, my Princess." Tamaki beamed at Rini and, at the same time, gently took her by the hand. He turned her palm over and laid the long-stemmed rose in her hand. His eyes held hers and seemed so completely sincere that Rini couldn't look away even when her cheeks flushed. It wasn't often that she met someone so sincere. Someone who admired her simply for being herself, without some secret, ulterior motive. Someone who actually meant it when they called her "Princess."

"Your very presence lights up the room and touches me to the depths of my soul," Tamaki went on, his voice light and melodious. "I do hope, dear Princess, that you'll enjoy your stay here at the Ouran High School Host Club."

Rini didn't know what to say, except, "Oh…arigato, Tamaki-sempai…um…would you like me to serve you some tea?"

Tamaki stared at her. "But my darling…this is a Host Club…we are the ones who should be serving you."

"Oh, but I couldn't!" The only thing worse than making a fool out of herself, in Rini's opinion, was someone else going out of their way to do something extraneous for her. She much preferred serving others as opposed to being served herself. Hurrying to explain herself, Rini said to Tamaki, "Please, I don't want you to go to any trouble! Oh…but I should've asked first if you even like tea…" Crestfallen, Rini realized her mistake – something a real hostess would never have done – and hung her head in mortification. Tamaki looked completely surprised.

"It's all right," he said, adopting a soothing voice. "You don't need to-"

"I'd like some tea, Ri-chan!" Hikaru piped up suddenly.

"Yeah, me too!" Kaoru added. Tamaki still looked like he wanted to comfort Rini, but then Haruhi placed a hand on his shoulder. Tamaki looked up at her, completely at a loss for words.

"It's okay, sempai." Haruhi smiled encouragingly. "Maybe we could all sit down and have some tea before we start setting up for the club. Rini, would you mind serving us?"

"N-not at all!" Rini was quite relieved that Haruhi had saved the situation.

Meanwhile, Tamaki's mood had completely turned around – now he looked as happy as a child in Disneyland. Beaming, he grabbed Haruhi by the waist and spun her through the air, shouting over her screams, "OH, HARUHI, I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

Haruhi screamed, "Get off me, Sempai!"

"The tea's over in the back room, Ri-chan," Hikaru said, pointing to a door at the opposite wall.

"Everything should be pretty easy to find," Kaoru added.

"Don't forget the sugar and honey," Hikaru reminded her.

"And there should be some cake in the refrigerator," Kaoru put in.

"Okay!" Rini, with new determination, hurried over to the far side of the room, opened the door, and went inside. No matter what, she was going to do this right.

In the back room, there was a spacious kitchen nestled into the right wall of the room. Complete with an oven, stovetop, refrigerator, and microwave, Rini felt immediately comfortable in the familiar homely setting. Even though the appliances were state-of-the-art and the teakettle alone probably cost more than her bed, she felt quite content when left to deal with this kind of domestic task. In this case, the tea would simply be more formal, with much more beautiful china than what she used at home.

She had just set a kettle on the stovetop to boil, and was searching through a number of pastries in the refrigerator, when she heard a cool voice behind her.

"Your last name was Ikumi, wasn't it? As in, Yuki Ikumi?"

Rini jumped, and saw that Kyoya had followed her inside. He was watching her carefully, as if he were mentally taking notes on every move she made. Rini was discomforted, remembering the thought that had occurred to her earlier when she'd heard his name. She had thought it sounded familiar. Stammering, she replied, "H-hai – Yuki is my younger brother. But how did you-?"

"Surely you've realized by now who I am?"

Rini looked down at the ground, busying herself with setting out the cakes. "You're Kyoya Ootori, right?"

"That's correct." Kyoya watched her over the rims of his glasses. "I'm quite familiar with your family's situation, Ms. Rini. I hope that you are all doing well."

Rini didn't turn around. Her hands continued to move, disconnected from her body. "Hai…we're…we're fine." She concentrated on straightening the pastries on the tray. They had to be perfect. Anything to distract her from what Kyoya was about to say. She'd never met him before, but she knew his family well. She knew what their business was all about. What they had done, and what they were still doing, to her family.

Kyoya spoke again. "And your brother, Yuki?"

Rini's fingers were trembling. "The same."

"Ms. Rini."

Rini couldn't look him in the face. The kettle was whistling. She took it off the burner and added the tea in to steep.

"You must know how much we appreciate your family's cooperation. On behalf of the Ootori business-"

"Please, don't say it!" Rini couldn't take it. She just had to stop him. She couldn't bear to hear him say what she'd heard so many times before. She didn't want to hear any more lies.

Hoisting the tea service onto her arm, Rini turned around on the spot until she stood face to face with Kyoya. He looked quite stunned. She was sure that hardly anyone ever interrupted him. Not only was he one of the richest and smartest students in the school, but he was also a formidable personality. He wasn't someone it would be wise to cross.

It was true – Rini was quite familiar with his family. And she feared them all. Though she couldn't be sure if Kyoya was anything like his brothers and parents, she knew that at least for the moment, she didn't dare trust him. His family had been there during one of the worst moments of her life, and not only that, they had helped make it so.

If _he _hadn't been there…if _he _hadn't taken her in his arms after the Ootori's had said such cold and heartless things…she doubted that she would've ever found the strength to bear the load that had been set upon her, for her Father and for her brother.

It was that treasured memory of _him_…that gave Rini her courage.

**Alrighty, then! Please don't forget to send a review! **

**All the Best,**

***~Suki~***


	3. Chapter 3: Honey and Mori, Final Members

**Hey Everyone! A Belated Merry Christmas! So thank you to everyone who reviewed! A couple of notes though...one of you said that Mori is called the Wild Type, not the Stoic...I know that when Tamaki's describing the members Mori is called the Wild type, but I'm almost positive someone else calls him the Stoic type...I don't remember if it's Renge or whoever, but I know I've heard it before because I wouldn't have been able to come up with that on my own!!! **

**Anyways, here's the last part of Episode One!**

Chapter Three: Episode One, Part Three: Honey and Mori, the Final Members

When Rini hurried out with the tray for tea, she was surprised to see the room swarming with movers. It looked like they were bringing in furniture, but Rini had never seen home décor this grand before: soft cream colored pillows with gold tassels, wooden torches with brass brackets, and even – Rini stared, her mouth open – huge white pillars. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi were busy scrambling around the workers, the twins shouting ridiculous instructions, and Haruhi doing her best to correct them. From behind a marble statue of a beautiful, long haired woman, Tamaki leaped out and tried to grab Haruhi from behind and hug her.

"Aww, Haruhi, you're so cute when you're in charge-!"

"Knock if off, Senpai, I gotta tell them to move the statue!"

"But Haruhi…" Tamaki looked dreadfully wounded at her harsh tone. "I just wanna-"

"Look, Senpai," Haruhi said briskly, "After we're done for the day, you can come with me to the store to buy some instant coffee, okay? But right now, just let me-"

"OKAY, HARUHI!" Tamaki hugged Haruhi so tight Rini was afraid the buttons on her uniform might pop. "I can't wait to go to the commoner's supermarket to buy instant coffee with you! But wait-" He stopped abruptly, and then gazed down at Haruhi in wonder. "Does that make it…a-a date?"

"No."

"But why not?" Tamaki wailed. Haruhi looked around for a way to escape and spied Rini with the tea tray.

"Hey guys, the tea's ready! Let's drink it before it gets cold." Haruhi marched purposefully toward Haruhi, leaving Tamaki whimpering and downcast. Huffing slightly, Haruhi grabbed a cup and drank it straight.

Soon after, Hikaru and Kaoru abandoned their posts and scampered over Rini. "Arigato, Ri-chan!" they chanted, each taking some tea and pouring in a little sugar and some cream. Rini beamed, already more comfortable with them then she had been before.

"You're welcome," she said, setting the tray onto the coffee table in between the two sofas. One of the workers approached them.

"Uh, excuse me, we need someone to tell us where to put the tapestry-"

"I'll take care of it." Kyoya, back to his normal self, prodded his glasses up his nose and picked up his black notebook. Even though he had to reach around Rini to get it, he didn't make a point to excuse himself to her. Nor did he excuse himself to leave the rest of the group and take care of the moving crew. He walked past Rini as if she didn't exist.

Haruhi noticed. Her eyes slid over to Rini, but Rini merely blushed and busied herself with picking up a cup of tea for Tamaki. As she bent over, her necklace swung out from underneath the collar of her shirt.

The dangling charm caught Haruhi's attention. "Hey, what's that you've got there around your neck? Is it a cross?"

"Oh!" Rini's fingers immediately went to the small silver emblem. "Um, it's a samurai's sword. It was a present from when I was younger." Usually she kept the necklace hidden, in case others thought it was strange for a girl to be wearing a sword, but whenever she put it on, it made her feel brave. However, it was the story behind the necklace that gave the piece of jewelry its true value. But that was something that she could never tell anyone – not even her brother, Yuki, knew where it had come from. All he and her Father knew was that from the moment she'd first received it, she'd rarely ever taken it off.

"Hey, Hikaru." Kaoru had bitten into a piece of cake. He stuck his tongue out immaturely. "We need to tell Kyoya to fire the caterer. This stuff sucks."

Hikaru frowned down at his own pastry. "Wow, you're right. It is bad. But Kaoru-" he said suddenly, lowering his voice and catching his brother's chin with his hand, "-you're so messy, you've gotten your face dirty again. Here…let me help you."

Slowly, with an air of great tenderness and care, Hikaru licked a dollop of frosting off the corner of Kaoru's mouth. Kaoru trembled slightly, allowing himself to draw a little closer to his brother.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru's hand wandered up to rest on Hikaru's cheek. "You said you'd only clean me when we were in the shower…"

Hikaru wrapped his arms around Kaoru, bringing him close into his chest.

"Kaoru."

He rested his head on top of Kaoru's red hair, and closed his eyes. "I can't wait that long."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and said, "C'mon guys, Rini's not a client. You don't need to show off your brotherly love when we don't have guests. Besides," Haruhi glanced over at Rini, "you'll scare her away with all that incest talk."

To Haruhi's surprise, Rini immediately began shaking her head and waving her arms in protest. "Oh, no! Please, Haruhi, don't tell them to stop! I-I think it's wonderful!"

"You do?"

"Of course she does," the twins jeered.

"That's part of our appeal as Hosts, remember?" Kaoru pointed out.

"Girls go crazy over this stuff!" Hikaru added.

Haruhi turned to Rini. "Don't take them seriously, it's all just an act for the Host Club."

Rini protested, "But it's not!"

Haruhi and the twins stared. Rini quailed under their gaze, and yet she couldn't simply let it slide. Not when she'd seen the beauty beneath the twin's façade. "Um…I mean…you two seem to love each other so…so much. Not only are you brothers, but if you're lovers too…then it's as if…you're combining the most powerful types of love there are into one."

Rini's eyes met theirs. "The love between romantic partners, and the love of family. Some of it may be an act, but most of it's not. You two truly are the closest family members I've ever seen…and it's so wonderful," she continued, her tiny voice growing a little stronger, "that you can love each other in every possible way without worrying what others think. And that's why it's so beautiful to see…because you two are so special to each other."

For a long moment, there was dead silence, except for the shuffling and grunts of the workers around them. Rini wondered if she'd said too much, or maybe if she'd been completely wrong. Or maybe what she'd said was so stupid that after the initial shock wore off, they would all start laughing at her.

The twins looked at each other. Silently, they spoke to each other with their eyes, before turning simultaneously to look at Rini. Rini waited in trepidation for their judgment. Then…

"That was…really something, Rini."

To Rini's surprise, it was Tamaki who'd spoken. What's more, he said it softly, calmly, and with complete sincerity. To his right, someone honked loudly.

"It was beautiful! You are so cute!" Hikaru and Kaoru were both dabbing at their eyes with tissues, and Hikaru had blown his nose. Though the reaction was mostly for show, Hikaru and Kaoru were truly touched – it was as if she'd bypassed all the walls they'd set up around themselves and gone straight to their innermost hearts. Was she so perceptive and compassionate that she could see though all their smoke and mirrors?

Or was it…that she was so completely immersed in her own world of pain that she could see the raw emotions so clearly in everyone else?

----------------------------------

As she sat in one of the armchairs by the window, Rini's stomach growled. She'd been in a hurry that morning, so all she'd packed was a snack to tide her over until she got home. It was, coincidentally, a slice of cake from the dessert she'd made the night before. Her Father had come home tired from work, and she'd wanted to surprise him with dinner cooked and a nice dessert to enjoy afterward. Cooking was, after all, one of the only things she knew she was always good at.

Just as she opened up her bento box and took out her fork, she felt a sneaking suspicion that someone had crept up from around the back of her chair. Before she could turn around and see, a high, boyish voice suddenly asked, "Ooh, is that yellow cake?" Startled, Rini looked down, for that was where the voice had come from.

An adorable little blond-haired boy was beaming brightly up at her, clutching a stuffed pink rabbit to his chest. For a moment, she wondered if maybe he was Tamaki's younger brother – he looked like he might be in junior high, or even in elementary school. But then again, he was wearing the same uniform as everyone else. Maybe he was just really short.

Either way, Rini was instantly taken by his sweet expression. "Hai," she said, smiling at him. "Would you like to try some?"

The boy's smile grew even wider. "Yeah!" He held his hands out eagerly for the snack.

Immediately, Rini surrendered her fork and bento box over to him. Then she stood up, her necklace swinging, determined to make a good impression of herself. "I'll get you something to drink," she offered, taking a step backward. "Is milk o-"

"Hey there, watch out!"

Something collided hard with Rini's side, twisting her body and causing her to fall backwards. She wind milled her arms frantically in circles, but instead of ending up on the floor, she fell against someone's chest.

Upon impact, a strong arm wrapped across her chest, preventing her from stumbling any further. Rini sucked in a quick breath, completely caught off guard. A deep voiced sounded above her head.

"Are you all right?"

Rini gulped. "Uh, h-hai!"

"Okay." The arm let Rini go, and she sprang away from him before turning around. When she saw whom it was she had so clumsily fallen into, she just barely managed to curb a gasp.

The boy was tall – quite taller than anyone else she'd seen of the Host Club so far. He looked strong. Rini had felt the muscles in his arms and the wall of steel that was his chest when she'd fallen into him. His black hair was spiked, and he stood so still and stoic that at first, Rini thought maybe he was mad. But his eyes told a different story – they looked as if they'd seen a ghost.

In utter humiliation, Rini cried out woefully, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" and bowed jerkily a few times, her hair and her necklace swinging spastically.

The workers who had rammed into Rini with a long, cylindrical case had stopped. They looked quite terrified that they were going to be fired. "No, it was our fault, Miss," one of them piped up, shooting a terrified glance at the boy's formidable profile. "W-we didn't see-"

"No, r-really!" Rini's diminutive voice sought to overpower his. "I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm so sorry!" And she turned and bowed to him as well, leaving him utterly flabbergasted.

The small, blond-haired boy sprang over to Rini's side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Rini whirled around, unable to handle the concern they were all showing for her. "No, please, it was all my fault, I-"

"Here!" The little boy placed a small hand on her arm, stilling her frantic movements with more strength then he appeared to possess. He smiled at her. "How about I give you Usa-chan to make you feel better!" Reaching over to the armchair with one hand, he grabbed the stuffed pink bunny by the leg, and then tucked the animal into Rini's arms.

He was a little threadbare in some places, but Rini could tell it was because he was well loved. Holding something so soft and cuddly made her nostalgic – she remembered a time when she was young, and she'd played with a stuffed bunny. It had been yellow, and appliquéd with little white daisies. It had been her one-year-old birthday gift from her mother.

Rini's throat felt so constricted she didn't trust herself to speak. "Arigato," she whispered. She brought the bunny closer to her chest, tucking her chin between its ears. "Bunnies are my very favorite."

"Mine too!" The little boy looked quite pleased with himself. He glanced up at the tall boy standing next to him. "Usa-chan looks happy there, doesn't he, Takashi?" Without waiting for a reply, the little boy informed Rini, "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Honey! And this-" he pointed to the stoic boy "-is Takashi Morinozuka, but everyone just calls him Mori. We're third years, and we're part of the Host Club."

Rini blinked. "Oh…you're a…third year?" As soon as the words slipped out, she realized how rude she must've sounded, and tried to take them back. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to make it sound like you weren't, I just-"

Honey giggled, and Rini stopped abruptly. "It's okay!" Honey flashed her another sweet grin. "It's because Mori's so tall that we go so good together! Right, Takashi?"

Mori's dark eyes hadn't left Rini once the entire time. It was as though something about her had stunned him to the point that he couldn't move speak. Rini wondered if something was wrong with her. She'd never had someone look at her with such intensity before. It wasn't bad, exactly – but something about her had definitely caught him off guard. She couldn't imagine what it was. She was sure that if she'd seen him before, she would have remembered him.

However, when Honey asked him the question, Mori blinked a little, as if coming out of a trance, and managed to answer him with a single, "Yeah."

Honey let out another giggle. "What's your name?" he asked. Rini realized, with a jolt, that she hadn't even introduced herself. It felt like she couldn't stop making mistakes today. Maybe it was just that she wasn't used to being around so many boys – up until she'd figured out the truth about Haruhi, she'd thought she'd been completely surrounded by them. Though truth be told, Haruhi's beauty was so androgynous that it'd be easy to mistake her for either a boy or a girl.

"I'm sorry," Rini said, bowing again. "My name is Rini Ikumi. I just got here today-"

"Hey, Honey-senpai! Mori-senpai!" Hikaru and Kaoru scurried over to them, carrying what looked like bundles of white cloth in their arms.

"Why are you guys so late today?" Hikaru scolded, tossing Mori a bundle of white.

"We almost thought you weren't even going to show," Kaoru added, giving Honey the other half of the armload. Beaming, Honey examined the cloth in his arms.

"Takashi and I had to talk to his kendo teacher for a sec. Ooh, do we get to be Greek gods today?" he exclaimed, bouncing on his heels excitedly.

"That's right," Hikaru said.

"We've got Zeus, Hades, Cupid, Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, and Hermes," Kaoru added.

Honey brightened up. "You mean I get to wear wings?" Sure enough, when Honey shook out his costume, a little pair of gold wings sat neatly on top of his Grecian-style sandals.

Somewhere in the middle of the room, Haruhi was examining herself grumpily, and snorted. "Do I have to wear these stupid things?" She twisted her ankle and looked down to examine the tiny wings on her sandals. "Who am I supposed to be, anyway?"

Tamaki sidled over to her. Rini couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked as Zeus, with his rich purple Grecian toga, and a crown of olive leaves woven into his blond hair. He seemed perfectly comfortable in the outfit, and he was smiling brightly as he came up beside Haruhi.

"Why, you're Hermes, the messenger god, of course," he said happily. Then he added, with a little sigh, "If only everyone knew you were a girl…then I could've made you into the most beautiful Aphrodite the world has ever seen! Long hair…a bed of roses…a golden harp on which to play your beautiful music-"

"Sometimes I think you'd be a better girl than I am," Haruhi grumbled.

Meanwhile, Rini's eyes wandered over to Kyoya. He was standing near the back of the room, discussing something with one of the workers, wearing a silky black toga tied off with a blood-red sash. Rini was sure he must be Hades. Without warning, he looked up from his discussion with the worker and met Rini's stare head-on.

Mortified, Rini ducked her head, and made to hurry back to her seat by the window when suddenly Honey yelled out, "Ri-chan, Ri-chan! Come here, I wanna ask you something!"

Honey was standing in the doorway that led to the back room. Apparently while Rini had been watching Tamaki and Haruhi, Honey and Mori had gone in the back to change. Now Honey was in full costume, complete with the little gold wings pinned to his back. His eyes shone brightly as Rini hurried over to him. Once she was within speaking distance, Honey asked abruptly, "Did you make that cake you brought by yourself?"

Rini was taken aback. "Uh…well, um, hai. Was there something wrong with it?"

"Nuh-uh." Honey beamed. "It was delicious! Can you make some for the Host Club?"

"F-for the Host Club?" Rini gasped. She couldn't believe it. Did he really think her cooking was that good? "B-but don't you have a professional-"

"It was even better than professional! Even Takashi tried it, and he usually only eats healthy stuff." Honey looked back over his shoulder. "Right, Takashi?"

Mori stepped up behind Honey. Rini's heart immediately jumped in her chest. Mori was in a midnight-blue toga, with a silver cord tied around his waist and a beautiful silver crown in his hair. A lethal-looking trident was clutched in his large hand. His shoulder muscles looked even bigger with his jacket off, though Rini was embarrassed that she found him so attractive. Usually she didn't react to boys this way, but with him, something was different. Perhaps it was that quiet strength…the thought that maybe he was someone who wouldn't run away…someone who could help…who could handle her…pain…

_Maybe…I could find a knight here after all_. Then she blinked, and tried to force herself to make more sense. _Stupid Rini. You need to stop dreaming that way._

Mori's dark eyes bored into her's – though he still looked like she had caught him off-guard, at least he didn't look quite so shocked anymore. "Hai." His lips barely moved. "It was very good."

Rini was completely flustered – she didn't know how to act around him at all. "Oh…well…arigato," she said, giving him a deep bow. Her necklace slipped out of her shirt again, and she clumsily tried to shove it back in without being too obvious. Meanwhile, Honey was still smiling cheerfully.

"So, can you, Ri-chan?"

Rini was uneasy – her Father didn't make that much, and most of whatever income he had went toward something much more important than baking supplies. "Well, I guess I could save up for ingredients," she began hesitantly. Honey interrupted her with a squeal.

"I know!" He looked as though he'd just had a burst of inspiration. "I'll ask Tama-chan if we can pay you! You can cater for us!"

"What?" Rini gasped. She couldn't think of offering her services for money. "No, I couldn't accept that! Please, I just-"

"Wait here, I'll go ask him!" Honey bounced right past Rini's protests, carrying the bento box with the remnants of the cake. Rini watched him approach Tamaki, feeling helpless to stop him, and yet unhappy about having the attention so directed on her culinary skills.

With Honey gone, Rini realized that she and Mori were now, awkwardly, by themselves. She shifted nervously, unsure if she could try to make polite conversation. With all the times she'd put her foot in her mouth today, maybe it would be better just to stay quiet.

"That necklace – where did you get it?"

Rini jumped – apparently Mori's voice had the ability to make her do that. She looked at him, only to find him watching her with hardly an expression on his face. Rini was sure he was only speaking to her because it was the polite thing to do. It wasn't like he'd actually be interested in something like a girl's jewelry.

"Oh!" Self-consciously, she fished the sword-shaped charm out again and held it out for him to examine. "You mean this?"

"Yeah." His expression barely changed. Rini wondered if maybe she bored him. And yet she felt obligated to give him an answer – even if it wasn't the entire story.

"I got it when I was eight years old," Rini said. She fiddled with it in her hands. The memory was still fresh, even though it had happened so long ago. "I was in the hospital one night, and this boy gave it to me."

"Why were you in the hospital?"

Something was different in Mori's tone. It had grown a little more tense. Maybe he was mad after all. Maybe he thought she was annoying with the way she stammered all the time. Rini wasn't sure, and it just made her feel even worse.

"Oh…i-it was just…my mother, she…sh-she-"

"Oh, Princess!" Tamaki had burst into song. As he pirouetted over to Rini and Mori, he clutched her empty bento box to his chest. "Your exceptional culinary skills have pleased the gods! Oh, humble mortal of commoner soil, the lords of Mt. Olympus request your services!"

"Give it a rest, Senpai," Haruhi mumbled, calmly trailing behind him. "And don't call her a commoner, it's rude."

"Haruhi, my dear daughter," Tamaki plowed on, "Wasn't that buttery morsel of sweet and yellow confectionary the peak of dessert perfection?"

"It was really good, and I don't even eat cake that much," Haruhi admitted. She gave Rini another encouraging smile. "Maybe it would be a good idea for you to bake for us. But Senpai, shouldn't we ask Kyoya first? He is in charge of the club's finances, after all."

Tamaki beamed at Haruhi. "As always, Haruhi, your exceptionally perceptive mind amazes me! Daddy is so proud!"

"And your exceptional immaturity amazes me," Haruhi shot back. Tamaki crumbled.

"Mommy…!" He slumped into a puddle on the floor and wailed loudly, "Mommy, Haruhi's picking on me!"

Kyoya glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "Didn't you want to ask me something, dear?"

Tamaki suddenly remembered Rini's cake. "Oh! Hai!" His mood completely reversing direction, he sprang up off the ground, his vigor renewed. "Kyoya, let's hire Rini as the Club's official chef!"

"Hmm." Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose again and observed Rini coolly. "Perhaps we should have a trial run first, before we draw up an official contract. Ms. Rini, kindly bring in another sample tomorrow, and we'll have a vote on possibly employing you. After all-" His mouth twitched into a little smirk "-I personally didn't get to have any. As Vice President of the club, it's my job to make sure all of our products are of exceptional quality."

"Yeah, we didn't get to try it either!" The twins sprang up on either side of Rini, making her jump about a foot in the air. They each leaned their elbows on either of her shoulders and grinned. Both of them looked splendid in their expensive Grecian wear.

Hikaru said, "Don't forget to bring enough for all of us tomorrow!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to miss out again!" Kaoru added.

Rini looked around nervously, her tiny voice made even more so by the attention. "Um…well…okay…"

_Ring ring!_

"Oh!" Rini jumped again, and then realized it was her own phone. "That must be Papa!" she gasped. She raced out from beneath the twins and snatched up her school things. "I have to go meet him, please excuse me!" Breathlessly, she raced out of the room, leaving the palace of Mt. Olympus and seven mildly surprised Greek gods.

"Aww, she's so cute!" Hikaru cooed.

"And it's so funny how she stutters all the time!" Kaoru chortled. "Does she have a speech impediment or something?"

"You idiots, that's not the way to talk about Princess Rini!" Tamaki scolded them. "Otherwise she won't want to cook for us!"

"Like you're one to talk about being polite," Haruhi grumbled under her breath. "Just because we're not filthy rich doesn't mean we're-"

"Haruhi."

Haruhi looked up. The others had drifted off to different parts of the room. It would be time for the Club to open soon. But Mori had spoken quietly, and it seemed he had wanted to wait until he and Haruhi were alone.

"What is it, Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asked in surprise.

Mori said, his voice deep and soft, "I think Rini-san would like it if you went over to her house sometime."

Haruhi blinked. "Why do you say that?"

"You have something in common."

"What's that? That we're both girls?" Haruhi asked. Mori shook his head imperceptibly.

"No. I think that maybe, like you, Rini-san lost her mother."

**So, a couple of things before I leave you! I know that for this first episode, Rini's stammering and constant nervousness and overall personality might make her annoying...certainly I found myself getting annoyed with her as I was writing her! But she has a few reasons for her being the way she is. A large part of it will be revealed in the next Episode. **

**Another reason I made Rini a really weak, wimpish girl is because in some of the Ouran stories I've read, the new girl who meets the Host Club is a total badass - a tougher and more sarcastic version of Haruhi. I didn't want to make another Haruhi-like personality because then Haruhi would lose the stuff that makes her distinctive, like her sense of humor and the way she interacts with the other members of the Club. So I went in the other direction and made Rini, who is tentative and nervous to the point of ridiculousness. **

**Anyways...I know that Rini is probably not everyone's favorite character and that all the mystery and unfinished thoughts about the past might be irritating, but the answers will come soon enough. In the meanwhile, I appreciate everyone who reads this, whether they enjoy it or not. Thank you so much for giving this story your time!**

***~Suki~* **


	4. Chapter 4: Everything is for Family

**Alrighty, here we go! The next episode is up! Thanks for the wonderful reviews, everybody! They really encourage me to keep going! Thank you all so much!**

Chapter Four: Episode Two, Part One: Everything is for Family

Finally, the timer was set. Rini sat down on the floor and slumped over the dining room table. Curling her legs up underneath her, she buried her head in her arms. Even though she'd only just slid the cake into the oven, she still had a ton of homework to do, and there was a pile of laundry waiting to be folded in the living room.

She sighed, and straightened up. This was no time to be lazy. The Host Club wanted her to make a cake, and so she was going to try her absolute hardest to make the very best cake she could think of – and that's exactly what she did; think up recipes. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd used a cookbook. It was a weird sort of talent she had, though it came in handy when she had to throw something together for dinner. She never needed to look up any recipes because she had an automatic sense of what foods went well together and the ratios of ingredients needed.

But doing her homework turned out to be an absolutely useless pursuit – she couldn't stop thinking about the Host Club. Even though she was quite terrified at the prospect of Kyoya tasting her cake, she knew that the extra money would be extremely useful. If she could get paid, then that would cover the cost of ingredients, plus she'd have extra left over to give to Papa. With the two low-paying jobs he had, Papa needed all the help he could get with Yuki's bills.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Rini heard a shuffle behind her. Someone was coming down the hallway. She turned, just as a low voice called out:

"Rini? Are you in here?"

"Yuki!" She scrambled to her feet as Yuki walked slowly into the room. She was alarmed that he was still awake. "What's the matter? Were you having a hard time falling asleep?"

Yuki shook his head. Rini felt her stomach clench every time she saw her younger brother. At twelve years old, he should've been making friends at school and starting to like girls and playing video games. But Yuki had never even had a chance at a normal life. He'd never even been inside a public school.

In fact, it seemed he'd spent more of his life at the hospital than he had at home. He was only here for a week before he went back – the doctors had finally deemed him strong enough to chance a few days at home, and Rini was glad. She knew that Yuki grew anxious when he didn't see her for a long time.

"Rini…" He swallowed hard. His voice was so weak. "I had that dream again. About Mom."

"Yuki…" Rini held her arms open to him. "It's okay. You don't have to be scared."

Yuki sniffed, and then, stumbling and nearly giving Rini a heart attack, he fell into her arms and began to cry without restraint.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, gasping into her hair. Rini knew that he felt ashamed. "I know you've got more important things to do then hang out with me-"

"That's not true, Yuki." Rini held him as tightly as she dared. Though the fabric of his shirt, she felt the sharp angles of his shoulder blades and the ridge of his spine. It seemed that no matter what they fed him at the hospital, he never stopped being sick. That was another one of the reasons he never went out in public – along with the fact that he physically couldn't because he was so ill, he knew that he looked too emaciated for other people to be comfortable around him. His skin was sallow, his bones protruded, and if he had far to walk he had to sit in a wheelchair. It made him feel like a freak.

Slowly, Rini combed her fingers through his fine, downy hair. "You are so special to me, Yuki, and you always will be."

"I…I just…" Yuki clung to her and tried his best to breathe deeply so he could speak. "I want you to be happy. I want you to be the happiest girl in the whole world."

Rini sank down to the ground, still holding Yuki to her chest. She slid her hands under his shirt and began to rub his back, gently, the way she had since he was a baby. She knew that in the medical world, with all its professionals and the constant poking and jabbing, Yuki longed for the comfort of a warm, loving touch. When he was home, she lavished him with attention, because she never knew how long it would be before he had to go back again.

"Hey, Rini?"

"Huh?"

Yuki's crying had calmed down now, as it always did when she was with him. He was curled up on the ground, his head resting in Rini's lap. His beautiful blue eyes were staring up at her, like pools of unshed tears; Rini knew that his eyes were merely a reflection of her own.

"How was your first day at Ouran?"

Rini smiled. "How about I rub your shoulders while I tell you about it?"

Worry flashed across Yuki's face. "Are you sure? You don't have to. I know you must be tired."

Rini let out a small, high-pitched giggle. "I'm going to be up all night anyway – I have to bake a cake for the Ouran Host Club."

Yuki blinked. "What's that?"

Rini giggled again at his expression, her thoughts drifting back to all the mishaps she'd experienced that day – knocking over Hikaru's things, interrupting Kyoya's speech, falling into Mori's chest…

She reached for a pillow and began to help Yuki with his shirt. "It was such an interesting day; it started out with this morning…"

-------------------------------------------------

As the last bell rang at the end of the school day, Rini found she could hardly keep her eyes open. It had been a struggle the whole day – trying to concentrate in her classes, she'd felt herself drifting off repeatedly. As she stifled a yawn and began to pack up her things, Haruhi turned around in her seat to address her.

"Is everything okay, Rini? You look pretty tired."

"Oh! I'm all right!" Rini tried to perk herself up and give Haruhi her attention. "I just had a lot of homework last night."

In reality, she hadn't gotten around to doing her homework until one in the morning – she and Yuki had stayed up late, giggling while Rini whispered stories to him about their mother. Even though Yuki had been six that last time they'd seen their mother, he didn't remember much about her. She'd been sick for most of his life, which was why it had become Rini's responsibility to look after both him and their Father.

Next to Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru both swiveled around in their seats. Their curiosity was piqued. "I didn't think we had much homework yesterday," Hikaru pointed out.

"Why did you have to stay up late to finish it?" Kaoru asked.

Rini's pulse leaped. She never told anyone about what was wrong with Yuki, or what had happened to her mother – not because she was embarrassed or ashamed, but because she didn't want anyone to worry about her and her family. They were her responsibility – she took care of them to the best of her ability, and so there was no need for anyone else to inconvenience themselves about it. Plus, she didn't want people to feel sorry for her – everyone had enough of their own problems, after all.

Rini said, "Oh, um, well...I, um, stayed up late with my brother, Yuki. He was having a hard time falling asleep." It was the best she could do – she couldn't lie, but she couldn't tell the whole truth either. It probably would've been more than Hikaru and Kaoru wanted to hear, anyway.

But Hikaru and Kaoru looked confused. "That's weird," they said.

"Don't your parents take care of that?" Hikaru asked.

"Or shouldn't you have a maid or something?" Kaoru added.

Rini didn't know how to answer. Her Father had dropped her off at the house before going to his second job, and once he'd come home from that, he'd had just enough energy left in him to eat some dinner before going to bed. Sometimes she wondered if maybe her Father would somehow contract the disease too. And the idea that they could afford hired help was laughable.

"You know, not everyone has a family just like yours, guys."

It was Haruhi who has spoken. What's more, she sounded a little upset. As if she thought Hikaru and Kaoru were being heartless, and that what they'd said had been thoughtless and cruel. But how could she know? How could Haruhi know anything about Rini's family?

Beside her, Hikaru and Kaoru grinned mischievously. "Yeah, and definitely not everyone has a family like yours, Haruhi," they sang gleefully.

"Yeah, and?" Haruhi mumbled. Rini caught onto the idea, eager to take the topic away from herself.

"W-what do you mean, Hikaru and Kaoru?" she asked tentatively.

Hikaru snickered. "Her dad's a tranny."

"And it's just the two of them living at home," Kaoru added, a little more gently.

Rini's heart gave a pang – so did that mean Haruhi's family was sort of the same? Had something happened with her mother too? Rini hoped not – she couldn't bear the idea of Haruhi having to go through something as painful as losing a member of her family. If she had…then Rini admired her even more for it.

"Hey, Rini?"

"Huh?"

Haruhi looked at her apologetically. "We, er, have to go to the Host Club early for a meeting – just the three of us."

"Sorry, Ri-chan," the twins chanted.

"The Boss wants to talk to us about something important," Hikaru said, rolling his eyes and shrugging.

"Which is really unusual – the Boss hardly ever says anything important," Kaoru added, mimicking his brother.

"You can bring us the cake in a little bit," they added together. Haruhi looked down by Rini's feet with interest.

"Is that it down there?"

"Hai," Rini said. A pink box sat by her feet, obscuring the finished dessert. "I asked the bakery down the street if I could use one of their delivery boxes. They said it was fine as long as I didn't try to sell my cake as one of theirs."

"Don't worry." Haruhi gave her a smile. "I'm sure yours will taste much better than theirs do."

Rini blushed. "Oh…well…I don't know…"

"Aww, Ri-chan!"

"You're so cute! Come 'ere!"

"Oh, I-WAAAHHHH!"

Kaoru and Hikaru had pounced on her spontaneously, gripping her in a hug so tight that Rini felt her ribs squish together. It felt so strange – she hadn't been hugged by anyone besides Yuki in…what seemed like…forever…

Hikaru and Kaoru were rubbing her head as if she were their pet. "What a little Rini-chan!" they cooed. "You're just as cute as Haruhi!"

"Yeah, whatever," Haruhi mumbled. But she smiled a little all the same.

The twins told Rini, "We gotta get going, but we'll see you later on at the club, okay?"

Rini squeaked, "O-okay…"

Springing lightly over to their things, the twins grabbed up their bags and stampeded out the door, shouting over their shoulder, "Come on, Haruhi, hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" Haruhi paused to lean forward a little toward Ri-chan, and said gently, "I'm sorry about their manners. Sometimes they just act like a couple of spoiled rich brats who don't know about tact."

Rini shook her head forcefully, her little voice protesting. "Oh, no, they're not brats at all! I-I think they're funny!"

Haruhi laughed. "Well, I guess you're right. They're okay most of the time." She wedged her books under her arm. She smiled and waved goodbye. "Well, see you later."

"Bye!" Rini watched anxiously as Haruhi hurried out the door.

----------------------------------------

"So what's this all about, Boss?" the twins asked.

Tamaki was sitting on the couch, his hands casually folded behind his head. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "We're here to talk about Ms. Rini."

Honey bounced up and down in his seat. "What about Ri-chan, Tama-chan?" he asked excitably. He glanced up at Mori, who was standing by the back of the couch. "Do you know, Takashi?"

Mori shook his head slightly. Tamaki let out a sigh.

"Well, Kyoya and I have been talking, and we've decided…" Tamaki paused dramatically, his eyes traveling to each one of the Host's faces. "…that we're going to give Rini an official job!" he finished, gesturing extravagantly.

The reactions were a bit mixed.

"We are?" the twins asked skeptically. "Why?"

"Yay! Hooray for Ri-chan!" Honey cheered.

Mori shifted, and even though his eyes were on Honey, they seemed to be seeing something else entirely. Haruhi didn't miss it, but she knew now wasn't the best time to ask. She directed her attention to Tamaki, who was waiting anxiously for her verdict.

"What do you think, Haruhi?" he persisted.

Haruhi asked, trying to sound rational and yet open to the idea at the same time, "Well, what did you and Kyoya-senpai have in mind?"

Tamaki looked over at Kyoya expectantly. Kyoya was sitting at a table in the farther half of the room, typing steadily away on his laptop.

Kyoya picked up his cue. "Well, it's quite simple, really." Immedietly, Haruhi noticed his voice was much flatter than normal. She wondered if something was wrong, or if maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep. She knew that he always ended up extremely cranky when he stayed up too late.

Kyoya continued, "Ms. Rini, if she so chooses, will become our primary caterer for all the Host Club activities, as well as the club's official maid. She will be in charge of preparing and serving refreshments during the Host Club's open hours, leaving the real Hosts to spend more time with their guests."

"Huh." Haruhi considered the idea. "That doesn't sound too bad. Have you asked her yet if she wants an after school job?"

"Yeah, Kyoya-senpai," the twins said, "does she even want to work here?"

Kyoya continued to type. He didn't even look up as he answered, "I am confident that she will accept our proposal. If, that is, she passes the test first."

"What test?" Haruhi demanded.

"The taste test, of course!" Tamaki sprang to his feet, and placed a hand dramatically on his heart. "The test of her culinary genius that will determine whether she is to take her place as an honorary member of our Host Club! For the past few years, we've been suffering under the oppression of mediocre cooking…"

"-and he's off," the twins muttered. Then suddenly, the pair of them brightened. "Hey, Boss, we've got an idea!"

Tamaki stopped abruptly, looking annoyed that he'd been interrupted so soon. "What is it?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at them suspiciously. "If this is just another one of your dirty tricks-!"

"It's not, it's not!" they protested. "We just thought it'd be so cute if Ri-chan wore a maid's outfit!"

"Guys, no way!" Haruhi shouted. "She would be too embarrassed!"

Behind the couch, Mori's hands gripped the backrest so hard his knuckles turned white. But no one, besides Haruhi, took any notice.

"It's brilliant!" Tamaki twirled around in a circle, clasping his hands together with a show of profound delight. "It's perfect! Oh, but if only she and Haruhi could do it together-"

"No, thanks," Haruhi grumbled.

"-what do you think, Kyoya?" Tamaki floated over to Kyoya. Kyoya glanced up at his friend for a brief moment, and then turned back to the screen.

"Do what you think is best. You are the Boss, aren't you?"

"Yay!" Honey bounced out of his seat and raced after Hikaru and Kaoru into the back room. "I wanna help find Ri-chan a maid's outfit!"

Haruhi sank onto the couch in Honey place, shaking her head miserably. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see if everyone likes Rini's cooking," she said quietly. Then she glanced up at Mori, who was still frozen and gripping the back of the couch. "Mori-senpai, are you okay? You seem a little tense."

Mori's dark eyes stared down at her. He seemed like he might actually be trying to speak. But before he could, there was a quiet tap on the door, and then it opened slowly.

It was Rini. She poked her head in, hesitantly calling out, "Um…excuse me…i-is this a bad time?" Her corn silk blonde hair swung over her shoulder, and her brilliant blue eyes darted around anxiously.

Haruhi looked over at Mori again. Her chest gave a jolt of surprise. Mori's eyes were glued to Rini, seemingly unable to turn away. It was as if she'd caught him off-guard, or as if she'd sudden appeared out of nowhere and startled him. Haruhi saw the back of Mori's teeth clench, sharpening the angle of his jaw. The muscles in his shoulders tightened. His entire posture seemed to tense. Haruhi didn't know what to make of it.

He was acting…like he was a shy, inexperienced school boy, and the girl that he had a crush on had just walked into the room.

**Till Part 2,**

***~Suki~***


	5. Chapter 5: An Accidental Moment

**Hey Everyone! I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has added this story to their Story Alerts! It's really encouraging to know that people are curious about where this crazy idea is going! I tell you what...listening to Love Story by Taylor Swift and writing the last part of this chapter make me feel all weepy and love-struck inside! That doesn't make much sense now, but you'll see what I mean...**

**I apologize in advance for the length. This chapter isn't very long. And I don't own Ouran.**

Chapter Five: Episode Two, Part Two: An Accidental Moment

Tamaki swooped down upon Rini and gestured grandly toward the two sofas in the middle of the room. "My Princess! Please, do come in! We've been so eagerly awaiting your arrival! Ah hah! And I see you've brought your masterpiece?"

"Well…" Rini gripped the pink box nervously. "I-I wasn't sure what to make, so I hope everyone likes chocolate-"

"Indeed!" Tamaki proclaimed, scooping the box out of her hands and twirling to the center of the room. "Haruhi! Witness the unveiling of Ms. Rini's work of culinary genius!"

Haruhi ignored Tamaki's words, but she did lean forward a bit as Tamaki opened the box. Rini glanced over at Mori, who was standing behind the couch with his eyes fixed quite intently on Tamaki's motions. Farther off, Kyoya was sitting at a table typing on his computer. He hadn't looked up once since Rini had come in. Rini was rather glad – after her outburst the day before, she was terrified of what Kyoya might say to her. She was sure that her interruption must've insulted him.

Tamaki let out a gasp, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, Rini, it's exquisite!"

"It is pretty cute," Haruhi agreed. She sounded quite impressed. "How did you do the flowers on top?"

Rini's eyes slid over to the top of her cake, which she had lovingly decorated with red roses against dark chocolate icing. "Oh, it's not so hard if you have the right icing tip." Their positive reaction had immediately made her feel more at ease – for once, she hadn't stuttered. Before anyone could speak again, something small zoomed up to the table, clutching a familiar stuffed bunny in its hand.

"Wwwwoooooowwww! It looks so yummy!" Honey's eyes were wide as dinner plates, and he was leaning in so close his nose almost touched one of the roses. "Can we eat it, Tama-chan? Can we? Can we?"

"Hai, Honey-senpai!" But then Tamaki paused, straightened up, and looked around in confusion. "But where in the world are those twins? We can't proceed with the judging without everyone here!"

Rini's heart leaped. "J-judging?" she squeaked. Haruhi laughed at her terrified expression.

"Don't worry, Rini, Senpai's just kidding," Haruhi reassured her. "We just all want to try it before we hire you on as our – er, employee."

"Before you what?" Rini gasped. She stared at Haruhi in complete shock. "Y-you actually want to hire me?" She hadn't thought they were actually serious the day before.

"Well, yeah." Haruhi spoke apologetically. "After Tamaki-senpai mentioned it last time, he and Kyoya-senpai talked about it and agreed that it was a good idea."

Rini's eyes widened. "Th-they did?" She glanced over at Kyoya. He was still staring at the computer screen, but his relentless fingers had paused. She couldn't tell if he had been listening in on their conversation or not.

Haruhi glanced up at Mori, who had barely moved the entire time. "Hey, Mori-senpai, the twins are still in the back, aren't they?"

Mori gave an imperceptible nod. "Yeah." Rini had the odd impression that Mori was avoiding looking at her.

_Is there something wrong with me?_ As soon as the thought occurred to her, she laughed to herself. _Of course there is – I'm poor, and I'm pathetic because I'm selfish and I have no backbone. I have holes in my sweaters. I stutter all the time. I don't have a job so I can help with Yuki's medical bills. I'm a year behind in school. And even though I should be focusing on taking care of Yuki and Dad, I'm always daydreaming about meeting a man who can be my prince – someone who will think I'm special. Like the boy who gave me this…_

Unconsciously, her hand drifted up to her necklace. It was her most prized possession, which was why she rarely ever took it off. If her house were to catch on fire, she would truly grieve if the necklace were destroyed. It was more than could be said for anything else she owned.

"Ri-chan, Ri-chan! Can we eat the cake now?"

Rini was jolted out of her thoughts as Honey tugged at the hem of her sweater. It was disconcerting how adorable Honey was – appearance-wise, he looked much younger than even Yuki, and the way his eyes seemed to catch the light made them look huge and compelling, like a puppy-dog's.

Rini rewarded Honey's pleading expression with a bright smile. "Of course! Oh, but we need a knife first! I'll go to the kitchen and get one," she volunteered, stepping past the table and hurrying to the back. Quickly, she opened the door and stepped inside, not bothering to close it behind her.

As before, the kitchen atmosphere brought with it a sense of calm and overall peace that set Rini's nerves at ease. She liked being in the kitchen – it was so familiar. It seemed that if Yuki had spent most of his life in the hospital, Rini had spent at least a good quarter of hers in her family's kitchen. Most of what she knew was self-taught, save some of the very basic recipes that her Mother had been able to teach her before she was taken away to the hospital for good.

Cooking was something that Rini knew no matter what was happening in her life, would always turn out right. It came easy to her – she had spent her whole life cooking meals for her family, baking treats for presents when she couldn't afford to buy anything, and inventing snacks to bring to Yuki when he was miserable in the hospital. It was a part of her life that never changed, no matter what the family's circumstance was. She imagined she would always feel the most comfortable in the kitchen – preparing something tasty to share with someone – than anywhere else.

She glanced around the kitchen. Where did they keep the knives? Maybe if she reached up and opened this cabinet-

A large, slender hand suddenly reached up from behind her shoulder. Rini gasped, and as she tried to back up, rammed right into someone's chest. She heard a sharp intake of breath.

"I-I'm sorry!" Rini turned out as fast as she could within the confines between the countertop and the person's body. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't-"

She stopped abruptly. It was Mori.

"Oh!" she cried.

Mori was staring down at the floor. He looked overheated – there was a mild flush to his cheeks. He'd shoved both his hands into his pockets, and he seemed to be slouching a little more than usual. Rini wondered what he'd been trying to do when he'd reached around her.

In his deep, quiet voice, he said simply, "The knives are on the top shelf. Haruhi said you probably wouldn't be able to reach them."

Rini goggled at him. Still avoiding her eyes, he took a step around her and reached up with one hand toward the knife block that sat on the top shelf. It was true – Rini would've had to climb up onto the countertop to reach it. With smooth, long fingers, he slid one of the steely knives out of its holder and then brought it down and silently held it out to Rini.

"Oh - arigato!" Rini said quickly. Inwardly, she winced. _Oh, why do I always end up stuttering around him? I sound ridiculous._ She reached out for the knife, but her muscle suddenly jerked out of her nervousness, causing her hand to slip. There was a sharp stab of pain.

"Ah!"

One minute Rini was jerking her hand away – the next, blood was running down her arm and dripping onto the floor. Her face twisted into a mask of fear.

"Oh no!"

Mori reacted instantly. Slamming the bloodied knife onto the countertop, he deftly undid the knot in his tie and whipped it off of his neck. Grabbing Rini's trembling hand, Mori shook out the tie and, pinning the end with his thumb, proceeded to wrap her hand into a tight bind. Rini stared, shaking, at his face, which was completely focused on what he was doing.

The tie was so tight that Rini felt her fingers go slightly numb. But the bleeding had slowed, enough so that it didn't leak through the top most layer of fabric. Mori tucked the end of the tie into the folds, poked it down gently to make sure it would stay, and then, finally, looked Rini in the face.

"Are you all right?"

His eyes…were not at all what Rini had expected them to be. She had thought that Mori didn't particularly care for her, and that's why he'd been avoiding her eyes. But instead of being stony, impersonal, and cold…

They were gentle. And warm. Oh, they were so, so, incredibly warm.

Rini gulped. Her mind was moving much slower than normal. "H-h-hai!" With wide eyes, she looked down at her wrapped hand in complete shock, and then back up at Mori. "A-a-arigato gozaimasu!" She wanted to die of shame for not being able to speak coherently.

"Are you sure?"

His voice was so soft. Tender. Who'd have known that such a tall, strong, formidable person such as Mori could speak this way? Who was he? This person who was looking at Rini as if she were somehow incredibly important to him?

_No…not important…special._

Rini chased the thought out of her head as soon as it occurred to her. _There you go – you and your stupid dreams again. So selfish. Why would you be special?_ With that thought, Rini seemed to recover from the spell that Mori's voice and eyes had wrought over her. Blinking, she tried to say with confidence, "Hai! W-we'd better go back! They're all waiting." Then, she realized that Mori was still holding her hand.

He seemed to realize it at the same time. His eyes went wide with surprise. Rini reacted the same way.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rini gasped, pulling her hand away while Mori dropped it as if it had caught fire. "Um…the knife…has blood on it." Scurrying around him, her hair swinging, Rini took the knife up by its handle and brought it over to the sink. She turned on the cold water, and began to scrub at it with her fingers, careful not to cut herself or get her wrapped hand wet.

She was concentrating so much on her work that she didn't even hear Mori leave. With the water turned up all the way, Rini kept rubbing and rubbing the knife until the metal squeaked. She didn't know what to say. She kept her eyes down. The back of her neck was burning.

When she finally turned the water off, she saw that no one was beside her anymore. She took a shaky breath. It seemed that she was even more prone to accidents here than usual. Hopefully she wouldn't mess up even further by cutting the cake wrong.

Gulping, she braced herself, and went back out the face the judgment of the Host Club.

**I will try to come out with Part 3 soon...there's definetly going to be more drama...with the OTHER love interest! Please don't forget to shoot me a review! **

**All the Best,**

***~Suki~***


	6. Chapter 6: KyoyaMori's Strange Behavior

**Hey, Guys! Due to an awesome amount of reviews which all contained great feedback, I am putting up the next chapter! So all you folks you have added this story to your alerts, hit me up! I wanna know what ALL of you think! I don't mind criticism either, nor do I mind if you have any questions because something seems unclear. Sometimes when I'm writing I forget some important details.**

**For example, here's a huge one: I was researching Mori's character to make sure I didn't screw him up too bad, and I realized that his eyes aren't brown like I'd initially thought! They're a kind of dark gray color that sometimes looks a little blue. I felt like a huge dummy! Well, at least they're kind of a normal color - it really frustrates me that Tamaki's eyes are purple because it's so dang unnatural. And then I've read a couple stories where OCs have all kinds of weird colored hair and eyes...unless the OC has some kind of magic powers, it just feels strange to me to create someone with green hair. Esspeically if the character claims it's all natural. Anyways, I'm not one to judge other people's imaginations, so I'll shut it for now so we can get on with Part 3!**

Chapter Six: Episode Two, Part Three: Kyoya's and Mori's Strange Behavior

Haruhi smiled. Mori had stared after Rini when she'd run off into the kitchen, and then suddenly gone back to looking at the ground, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself. The school boy image was still fresh in Haruhi's mind.

"Hey, Mori-senpai," she said suddenly, turning around so she could look him in the face, "I think the knives are up on the top shelf. Rini might be too short to reach. I bet she'd really appreciate it if you gave her a hand." She smiled encouragingly.

Mori's eyes met hers. He seemed to be considering the idea. He glanced over at Honey.

Honey had been salivating over the cake, clutching his stuffed bunny tightly to his chest. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his eyes so huge Haruhi could see the roses on the cake reflected in them. Mori watched his young friend carefully, and even Haruhi with her perceptive nature couldn't see what was going on inside his mind.

After a few moments, and without a word, Mori turned and walked to the back of the room. Purposefully, he strode through the slightly open door and disappeared after Rini. Quietly, Haruhi laughed to herself.

"Hey, is Ri-chan here yet?"

The twins emerged from the storage closet in the back of the room, holding a short-skirted, white and blue maid's outfit between them. Haruhi winced.

"You're not actually going to make her wear that, are you?"

The twins grinned wickedly. "Of course we are!"

"And you know there's no way she's going to say no," Hikaru added.

"So where is she?" Kaoru asked, looking around. "Hey, is that her cake?"

"Indeed, it is!" Tamaki spread his arms wide, as if to encompass the entire group in a tender embrace. "I knew from the moment I saw her that she was not only a beautiful girl, but exceptionally smart and talented as well! Such skill would please the ladies, and enhance their experience here at the Host Club! As we dine on Ms. Rini's gourmet truffles and luscious, homemade cream pies, the ladies will be transported to a fantasy world of sweet indulgence and bliss! And with Ms. Rini playing the part of the hard-working, impoverished servant girl-"

"Well, that's not degrading at all," Haruhi grumbled sarcastically.

"-she'll allow us to spend more one-on-one time with our guests!" Tamaki finished jubilantly. "Oh, I can see it now! The mysterious romance of dark chocolate fondue! The sweet, buttery-caramel crisp of crème Brule! The delicate scent of candied violets-"

"Not to interrupt your delusions, Tamaki, but if Ms. Rini does indeed decide she wants to become our employee, then she will have to produce something much more impressive than what she has brought here today. This does not meet our Club's expectations."

Tamaki stopped abruptly, his eyes going wide with shock. Even Haruhi was stunned. Kyoya had finally stepped away from his computer and walked up to the table while Tamaki was speaking. He held his ever-present notebook in one hand, a pen in the other, and he was studying the rose-studded cake with a cool, almost condescending expression.

Tamaki gaped at him. Honey stared. The twins both asked, "Huh? What do you mean, Kyoya-senpai?"

Kyoya took a step closer, eyeing the frosted flowers. "The foliage among the roses is inconsistent; it's obvious where she applied the frosting thicker as opposed to other places, and most of the leaves are flat, rather than curving slightly upward in imitation of a leaf's natural shape. Also," he continued, while everyone watched, flabbergasted, "the surface of the chocolate lacks shine, which means that she used a lower quality chocolate that's typical found in commoner's super market, instead of the kind our normal caterers might use. Either that, or she didn't melt the chocolate at the correct temperature for the right amount of time, which would simply mean that her cooking skills are somewhat lacking in finesse. Certainly, it wouldn't be suitable to serve to our guests."

Haruhi was shocked. Why in the world was Kyoya suddenly being so critical? Haruhi hadn't noticed any of those things – as far as she could see, it looked good enough to be sold in an actual bakery. But the way Kyoya was speaking made it sound like Rini had done a terrible job. Then Haruhi remembered Kyoya's flat voice from earlier – was he still in a bad mood? But why take it out on Rini's cake?

The twins finally piped up, "But Kyoya-senpai-"

"-wasn't it partly your idea-"

"-to hire Rini in the first place?"

"Yeah, Kyo-chan!" Honey said, his high voice laced with confusion. "I thought you wanted Ri-chan to work here!"

"I suggested the idea," Kyoya corrected them. His voice had gotten that flat edge again. "I don't recall ever saying it was a guarantee."

"But Kyoya!" Tamaki protested, "We've already gotten her hopes up! To drop her like this now after we've been so enthusiastic-"

"It's not my fault you all have been showering her with praises and instilling her with a false sense of security," Kyoya said. Haruhi wondered if Kyoya had any idea how cold he sounded. "We didn't make any promises."

"But it was really good!" Honey protested, jumping up and down and holding his bunny tight. "You should at least try it and give it a chance first, Kyo-chan!"

"Yeah, Kyoya-senpai, give it a chance!" the twins added earnestly.

Kyoya surveyed them all, his eyes quite expressionless. No, not exactly – it was more like he was angry, but it was lurking just beneath the surface, under his calm and indifferent façade.

Tamaki took a step toward his friend. "Kyoya? Is something wrong?"

Kyoya replied, "Of course not. I'm merely acting on behalf of the Club's best interests."

"Yeah, but Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi finally interjected, "as long as the cake tastes good, it doesn't matter so much what it looks like, does it? I thought the whole idea of hiring Rini was because the stuff we were ordering from the caterers wasn't that good. So even if it's not as fancy or elaborate as some of those professional cakes, if it tastes better, then that's what really matters, isn't it?"

Kyoya merely looked at Haruhi for a moment. Then, after nudging his glasses up nose, Kyoya answered, "Perhaps instead of concentrating on the cake's appearance, she was more focused upon her own – no doubt, that revolting sweater she's wearing was designed to make us feel sorry for her so that we would be more likely to hire her. I counted at least four holes."

A great, suffocating silence followed this, heavy with the magnitude of everyone's disbelief. Never, _never_, had Kyoya said something so blatantly rude. Even in his bad moods, he had never spoken so harshly within someone else's hearing distance.

Haruhi was the first to react. "Kyoya-senpai!" she said angrily. "What's wrong with you? It's not her fault her family doesn't have as much money as yours!"

"Kyo-chan…" Honey's voice trembled, and he looked like he'd been betrayed. "W-why do you not like Ri-chan?"

Kyoya looked sharply at Honey. Now, Haruhi could see, he was having an even harder time hiding his anger. His voice was low, like a wolf raising its hackles and growling in defense.

"Her insecurity is irritating. She lacks confidence, which in turns makes her look weak-willed and cowardly. I do not sympathize with her merely because she is poor. In fact, I would be more inclined to believe she uses her financial situation to manipulate others so that they can give her what she wants."

Haruhi was so mad she could barely speak. Had he lost his mind? He was actually accusing Rini of manipulating them? Scowling at him, she opened her mouth wide to shout back an angry retort. But before she could, a deep voice spoke instead.

"You're wrong."

The entire room froze. Mori was standing against the back door. Haruhi wasn't sure how much he'd heard, but she was absolutely sure that he was angrier than she had ever seen him. And she knew it took something very important to make Mori angry.

Like Kyoya, Mori's anger wasn't so much seen and heard as it was felt. His voice had only grown a little deeper, but the room radiated with his presence, which seemed to make the air shiver, and even though he hadn't physically grown any taller, he seemed to tower over them like some great, looming beast. Haruhi's heart was pounding hard in her chest.

"Mori-senpai!" Tamaki gasped. Mori didn't look at him – his eyes, like spheres of solid iron, where fixed on Kyoya, the only one in the room who wasn't intimidated.

Kyoya replied calmly, "With all due respect, Mori-senpai, you are entitled to your own opinions – and I am entitled to mine."

Mori didn't respond. His merely stared at Kyoya with his iron eyes. It was like they were two wolves, circling each other, sizing each other up before engaging in a fight. At this point, Haruhi could have easily imagined either of them with sharp teeth.

Suddenly, Kyoya disengaged. "If you'll all kindly excuse me," he said, turning away toward the front door as he spoke, "I have to make a call." No one attempted to stop him as he headed out the door – even though he walked quite calmly, he gave off the impression that if someone tried to get in his way, he would simply run them over. With a slight creak and two soft clicks, the door opened and closed, and Kyoya left the room.

Goggle-eyed, the twins swiveled back and forth from the door to Mori to the door to Mori again. Honey's face had fallen. Tamaki had unconsciously opened his mouth to speak, and now it was hanging open stupidly.

Haruhi was staring at the door, after Kyoya. Her mind buzzed with disbelief. Clearly, Kyoya wasn't fond of Rini, but for the life of her Haruhi couldn't figure out why. And it was more than just annoyance – it was sheer contempt.

_I've never heard Kyoya-senpai sound so harsh_, she thought. _Do they have some kind of history together?_

She didn't mean romantic, of course – Haruhi had never seen two people less likely to hook up than those two. For one thing, Kyoya lived at the top of the financial pyramid with his grand lifestyle and wealthy family, while Rini didn't even have enough savings to buy herself a new sweater when the old one got holes in it. Not that those differences determined a match by any means – but rather, Haruhi suspected that if Kyoya were to ever seek a suitable person to date, it would be someone that was at least as rich as himself, if not richer. She would also have to be very intelligent, resourceful, able to network just as well as him, and have the same fiendish sense of humor.

While Haruhi knew Rini was intelligent and worked hard, Kyoya clearly thought she lacked inner strength and confidence. Haruhi didn't know her well enough make that kind of judgment, which was why everyone had been so stunned that Mori challenged Kyoya's statement. How in the world could Mori know Rini enough to defend her so strongly?

Then, Haruhi remembered that Mori had told her he suspected Rini's mother died. How had he come to that conclusion anyway? What was his proof? Was he just incredibly perceptive, or did he have some kind of history with Rini too?

It seemed that, perhaps, Rini was more connected to the Host Club than they'd initially thought.

-------------------------------------------

Kyoya was standing in the hallway, calmly folding up his phone and putting it in his back pocket, when Tamaki stepped out of the club room and closed the door behind him.

"Kyoya?"

Kyoya didn't turn around to look at his idiotic best friend, but merely said his normal voice, "What is it?"

"Kyoya…do you really…dislike Ms. Rini that much?"

Sighing, Kyoya already regretted his outburst. Now everyone was going to be clambering to get inside his head and figure out what was going on. He turned around to address Tamaki directly, and was disgusted to see that Tamaki had brought out a slice of cake for him. Usually he could tolerate sweets, but in this case, the sight of anything made by that girl made Kyoya feel sick.

Tamaki looked at his friend with gentle concern. "You should try it…it really is amazing. I'd like to go ahead and hire her. Everyone else thinks it's a good idea."

Kyoya could feel the familiar feelings building up inside him. The ones that had surfaced ever since that first encounter with Rini – no, the feelings that had surfaced ever since he'd first seen her face. For he'd recognized her as soon as she'd stepped into the Host Club yesterday. She stirred up emotions in him that just made him angry – resentment, confusion, and defensiveness.

Finally, Kyoya answered Tamaki, "The decision is yours."

"Kyoya." Tamaki's face softened. "I know you have a good reason for the way you acted."

Kyoya paused, and then very minutely, inclined his head. "I do."

"Tell me."

Kyoya considered his friend carefully. Well, maybe it would be better this way. Otherwise that poor, pathetic girl might blab out her side of the story and then everyone would be against him again. Perhaps it would be good to keep Tamaki as his ally by revealing the truth to him first.

Looking a little past Tamaki's face, Kyoya spoke quite calmly, as he would speak about any other matter. "As I'm sure you know, my family, the Ootori Group, deals with the management of hospitals, which include certain special hospitals where unusual cases and scientific tests are kept in containment. These are the hospitals in which most of our research is conducted, and where we keep patients whose conditions are too severe for ordinary hospitals. Two of these patients have included members of Rini's family – her mother, and her younger brother."

Ignoring Tamaki's shocked expression, Kyoya continued, "Though I'm not at liberty to disclose any confidential information, a number of years ago the mother passed away, and I believe Ms. Rini and her family blame the Ootori Group for it."

"They blame your family?" Tamaki repeated, aghast. Kyoya nodded once.

"Precisely. Even though everyone involved is aware that the mother's death would've been a guarantee if my family hadn't stepped in."

"Stepped in? In what way?"

"We have a contract," Kyoya said bluntly, "to pay a percentage of their medical expenses, which are quite extensive. In return, they must honor their part of the agreement."

"Which is?"

"It's confidential. My father and brothers have not informed me of the details."

Tamaki thought about what Kyoya had said for a long moment, while Kyoya leaned back against the wall. He felt exhausted, not to mention stressed out and cranky. Usually he handled himself well under pressure, but Kyoya couldn't help but resent Rini for both her irritating behavior and the way everyone felt sorry for her on account of her poverty. He preferred people like Haruhi, who were tough and worked hard to be independent and used to brains to get through life. In Kyoya's opinion, Rini seemed to be the type of girl that needed others to compliment her to make her feel good about herself. As he'd said inside, Kyoya didn't sympathize with those who were so insecure that they reached out to others for validation.

"So then…" Tamaki said – very slowly, to Kyoya's immense annoyance – "you don't…like Rini because…?"

Kyoya clenched his jaw and tried to keep his voice normal. "Because my family poured all of our resources into trying to save her mother, and she still resents us and thinks we didn't do enough. Her father has never forgiven us, and it's only because there are no other options for her family that Rini's younger brother, Yuki, is still bound by the contract."

"So Rini doesn't have any faith in you that you'll save her brother? She doesn't believe in you? That's why you're angry?"

Kyoya looked at Tamaki sharply. He felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. "Moron," he snapped. He began to walk away. He couldn't stand the idea of going back into that room and facing everyone, not after insulting Rini, whom they all seemed to adore. Especially Mori-senpai, for whatever reason.

_I wonder if he's in love with her_, Kyoya thought cynically.

"Kyoya!"

Kyoya's bristled at the sound of Tamaki's voice. "What?" he demanded, pivoting on one foot. He was doing it again – showing too much of his anger – but he couldn't help it. Thinking about Rini just made him extremely irritated.

And there was no getting away from her – Tamaki had shoved the plate of cake at Kyoya and was beaming brightly. "At least taste this! Maybe if you say you like it you two can become friends! And then her father and the Ootori group-!"

"You are such an idiot." Kyoya's deadly voice ground Tamaki's idea to a halt. "Forget it. I'd never eat something made by a commoner."

Turning on his heel, Kyoya strode away, his strides long and angry so that he could escape from the school, and from Rini's presence, as soon as possible.

**So...yes. If any of you have determined that Kyoya's anger doesn't seem legit for his character, no worries, I kind of already understand that. Truth be told, I had no freakin clue how to do him because I've never heard of him being interested in a girl before. Same with Mori...so please excuse me during this story if I stray a little from the character profiles in the interests of causing some drama - sometimes it's hard to think about how the characters might act in a certain situation when they've never been in them before. Only the TRUE creator of Ouran would know what to do!!!!!!!**

**Anyways, till next time! Please, if you're reading this story and you have anything to say, JUST CLICK THE BUTTON. YOU CAN DO IT. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE FINGERS, YOU COULD PROBABLY STILL DO IT. WITH YOUR FEET. OR YOUR TONGUE. AND I MEANT NO OFFENSE WHATSOEVER IF THERE ARE ANY READERS OUT THERE WHO DO NOT POSSESS HANDS. **

***~Suki~***


	7. Chapter 7: Telling the Truth

**Hey, Guys! Thank you to everyone who sent me a review or added this story to their Alert/Favorites! It means a lot to know that people are actually reading this sappy, romantic stuff. Thank you all for your support and encouragement! I hope that if you're enjoying this story that you'll continue to do so as it goes on.**

** Which brings me to a really annoying realization...I get the nasty feeling this story is going to be a lot longer than I planned! It's going to morph into some three-headed hydra, 20-something Chapter story instead of the manageable ten or eleven chapter story I'd envisioned. Pooey. Well...I guess that's what I get for creating an OC and trying to pair her with complicated characters! (complicated characters=Kyoya or Mori, not saying which one will be THE one yet!)**

**On with the story! *sigh* I really should start my homework now... **

Chapter Seven: Episode Three, Part One: Telling the Truth

"You want to work at a Host Club? For a bunch of rich kids?"

"Um…well…hai," Rini said, sounding apologetic. Her father shook his head in disbelief and went back to eating the remainder of his rice.

"Rini, sweetheart…you know what those rich types are like. They're selfish and cruel."

Rini sighed, and set down her chopsticks. She'd thought that her father would react this way. After the Host Club had tasted her cake, Tamaki had announced that the job was hers, if she wanted it. She remembered asking in confusion:

"Um…but, wait…Kyoya-senpai didn't try it-"

"Oh, don't worry about him," Tamaki said breezily. He waved his fork around as he spoke. "Until I succeed, it will be my sole mission to make sure he samples this exquisite delicacy of yours."

"Oh…well…okay…"

"Kyoya's just a big party pooper," the twins informed her. "He doesn't eat cake and stuff much."

"Oh, well in that case, it's okay!" Rini said hurriedly. "He shouldn't be forced if he really doesn't want to!"

"Well, see, that's the thing," the twins said.

Hikaru said, "Your cake is a lot better-"

"-than anything he's ever had," Kaoru finished.

"That's right!" Honey put in. He was already hauling an enormous second piece onto his plate. "Even Takashi doesn't like cake that much, and he ate his entire piece!"

Rini looked around. Mori was staring down at his empty plate, avoiding her eyes again. Rini felt a warm surge of happiness at the sight of him. At that point, his tie was still wrapped securely around her hand.

After what Mori had done for her in the kitchen, Rini saw him differently. When he'd refused to look at her, and had barely even said a word to her, she'd thought it was because he didn't like something about her. But after seeing the look in Mori's eyes, and feeling the way he held her hand in his, she knew she'd been mistaken. He really was a very kind and gentle person. He wouldn't hesitate to help anyone who needed it.

_I'm going to do my very best to thank Mori-senpai_, Rini resolved to herself. _And everyone at the Host Club. They've all been so nice to me, I'm starting to feel less and less nervous around them. Well…except maybe…Kyoya-senpai…_

It was this small bit of information that Rini knew her father wouldn't like. The Ootori's were a sore subject in the Ikumi household. Not only were they responsible for Yuki's medical care, they were also a very cold and unsympathetic group. Whenever Rini and her father met with them to discuss Yuki's medical progress, they never extended any apologies or encouragement regarding Yuki's condition. They only talked about the medicine, and the money.

It was always Kyoya's father and brothers who met with Rini and her father – she'd never even seen Kyoya before entering the Host Club. From what she'd seen so far of the youngest Ootori brother, he was a lot nicer and more polite to commoners like her, but like his family, he lacked true warmth and sincerity when he spoke to her. It was as if he knew he was supposed to talk to her a certain way since her family did business with his, but he didn't see her as a real person.

Nevertheless…Rini still wanted to work for the Host Club. And anyway, if Kyoya did indeed agree to let her become an employee, he was already better than the rest of his family. If he let her work to make money, she would be extremely grateful to him. The rest of the Ootori's didn't think about or care how Rini's family conjured up the remainder of the medical expenses – just as long as they got their share of the money in on time. It didn't matter to them if Rini went to school with holes in her sweaters, or her father worked two jobs. For them, it was just business.

But maybe…just maybe…Kyoya was different. Maybe Kyoya was actually a better person. Rini was scared of him, but if Kyoya had let another commoner like Haruhi into the Host Club, maybe he wasn't so cold towards people like Rini as his father and brothers were. The way they looked at Rini's clothes made her feel ashamed, as if she were a lower life form or something.

"They're not cruel, Papa. The Host Club members are really nice." Rini said. Her father looked at her with mild cynicism.

"Are they? Are you sure they're not just toying with your feelings? You do trust people very easily, you know. Even now, you still think those damn Ootori's are going to find some miracle that's going to save Yuki-"

"Papa!" Rini exclaimed. She was horrified that he would even allude to such a thing. "Don't say that! Yuki's going to get better, the Ootori's promised-"

"They promised they were going to save your mother too, didn't they?" Mr. Ikumi shoved another bite of rice into his mouth, his face bitter and sad. "They didn't even care that you two kids lost her. They only considered her a failed science experiment. And now they're treating Yuki even worse because of it. They want to make sure they don't fail again. Doesn't matter what that does to him."

"Papa…it's really…not that bad."

Yuki had finally spoken up. He was wrapped up in an enormous, puffy blanket, his head sticking out of the top, giving him the look of a turtle or perhaps a very endearing snail. His voice sounded rather hoarse. No doubt the unsanitary air was taking a toll on his immune system. This would be his last night at the house for a while. In another hour, Mr. Ikumi had to drive him back to the hospital.

Mr. Ikumi stared at his son. Yuki spoke up again. "I mean, it's not like they're torturing me or anything. And Rini brings me food and books and stuff all the time. Really, it's okay. Without the Ootori's, there's a good chance that I'd be-"

"Yuki. Please." Their father sighed in exhaustion and got up from the table. "Don't even think about defending the Ootori's. They're heartless bastards, all of them. And I'll bet they're training up that third son to be exactly the same. So that their grand legacy continues-"

"No, they're not!" Rini said. Her father paused, and she plowed on recklessly, "Kyoya-senpai isn't like them! I'm sure of it! He's the Vice President of the Host Club, and he said-"

"Wait, there's an Ootori in the Host Club? Have you lost your mind, Rini?" Mr. Ikumi looked betrayed. "After all they've done to us – and are _still_ doing to your brother – you want to work with him? You're _defending him?_"

"He is intimidating," Rini admitted, her voice pleading that he understand, "and he's not exactly genuine, but he did tell me to bring some cake for them all to try. He's willing to let me work there. I think he's different than his brothers, Papa, I think he might actually be a lot nicer! I'll bet he doesn't even know the whole story about Mom and Yuki because it's confidential!"

Her father gave a short, harsh laugh. "Hmph. Not much else to know, really. They don't think Yuki's anything more than a puzzle that needs to be solved. Their only interest is in themselves." Mr. Ikumi walked away down the hall, calling in a tired voice over his shoulder, "Stay away from them, Rini. Those rich kids are nothing but trouble – _all_ of them. Just work hard and take advantage of your scholarship at Ouran."

"But Papa…" Rini sank back down to the ground, hanging her head. Her hair fell in front of her face. She finished her sentence quietly to herself, "I didn't even tell you what Mori-senpai did for me today."

Yuki watched Rini anxiously. "I'm sorry, Rini," he said. He reached out with a long, thin hand and touched her arm gently. "You can tell me, if you wanna."

Rini smiled. "Arigato, Yuki." She sat back on the floor and heaved a sigh. "They really are very nice people. Kyoya-senpai might be a little scary, but I think he's kinder inside than he lets on. I mean, he's in a Host Club – isn't a Host Club supposed to be about making girls happy?"

Yuki shrugged. "Beats me."

Rini laughed, and said apologetically, "I guess neither of us really have much experience. Are you still hungry? Want me to get you some more natto?"

Yuki grinned, and held out his bowl unabashedly. "Oh, yeah! I gotta eat as much of your food as I can before I go back!"

Rini giggled and took his bowl, getting up from the low table. "I promise I'll bring you some more tomorrow," Rini said. Before she left, Yuki caught her hand.

"…I…I love you, sis." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"I love you too, Yuki." Rini smiled, but her eyes were sad. Had things been different – had their lives started out on another path – Yuki would've made some girl the perfect boyfriend. If he'd wanted to, he could've even become a member of the Host Club himself.

---------------------------------------

"Huh? What do you mean, you can't work for the Host Club?" the twins demanded.

Rini hung her head, unable to meet their eyes. "I-I'm really sorry."

"But how come, Rini?" Haruhi asked. Rini couldn't look at her either. In their first-year classroom, Haruhi and the twins had arrived and sat down, and Rini had decided that it would be better if she told them the news before class started.

Staring down at her pencil case, she answered unhappily, "My father…doesn't think it's a good idea. H-he thinks I should focus more on my studies."

"But it's only your third day of school!" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's not like you're failing or anything," Kaoru added.

"Well, um, it's not just that…he says…I mean…my family is important to me," Rini mumbled, trailing off. She didn't want to tell them it was because her father loathed rich people, or that she had to visit Yuki at the hospital.

Hikaru shook his head. "I don't get it."

Kaoru put his finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Does it have something to do with your brother again? Y'know, like yesterday morning when you came in all tired and stuff?"

"Um, well…sort of, I guess…"

"Hmph." Hikaru looked mildly annoyed. "You act like your family's completely useless without you around."

"Hikaru," Haruhi muttered, "Don't talk in that tone of voice, it makes you sound like a jerk."

Hikaru leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "I'm just saying," he said a little defensively. "We went out of our way to give her this job, and now she's telling us she's not going to take it."

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "So what's the deal?"

Rini felt trapped. She didn't want to tell them the truth, nor did she want to make her father look controlling and unfair. She understood why he thought the way he did. He was just being a bit inflexible. Which made her sad, because she truly believed the Host Club was made up of good people, regardless of their family's income.

"Well…I have to…look after my brother-"

"How old is he?" Haruhi asked.

Rini knew what their reaction was going to be. In a very small voice, she said, "He's…he's twelve."

Hikaru said unflatteringly, "_Twelve?_ And he still needs a babysitter?"

"He's different," Rini mumbled.

"How so?" Hikaru asked.

"Is he one of those Special Ed types?" Kaoru added.

"Guys, knock it off!" The force of Haruhi's voice startled the twins. "What's going on in her family is none of our business!"

"It is if it means she can't work for the Host Club," the twins said pointedly.

"Well, if you guys keep making stupid assumptions, then she won't want to work for us anyway!" Haruhi exclaimed. "Y'know, sometimes I really can't believe how tactless-"

"Please…Haruhi…" Rini's voice managed to interrupt Haruhi's tirade. Haruhi and the twins looked over. She was staring down at her desk, her hair hiding her face, her hands clasped tight in her lap. "It's all right. If you really want to know. I've been trying to hide it from you guys, but I…I don't want to see you arguing with each other. Not because of me."

Rini took a deep breath and, with the air of one confessing to murder, said in a quiet voice, "My brother,Yuki, is sick. He has a rare disease that's only been documented a few times, so hardly anyone's ever heard of it, and we don't really understand much about it. So far, the doctors don't have any idea how to cure him, so he's in the hospital a lot so they can conduct tests and try to figure out more about the disease. This is all…" Rini swallowed, the words bitter in her mouth, "…a continuation of the work they did on my mother. She had the disease first, and even though she was always in the hospital when Yuki and I were kids, the doctors didn't find a cure in time, and she died. Which means that unless there's some kind of medical breakthrough, in a few years Yuki's going to die as well."

Rini's body temperature had been steadily rising, her pulse thumping loud in her ears, as she told Haruhi and the twins about her family at last. None of them said a word – Haruhi's eyes, which were already quite large, had grown even wider when Rini said Yuki was sick. But then, Haruhi's shock had turned to a profound sadness when Rini mentioned her mother's death.

Rini wasn't sure if Hikaru and Kaoru had any concept of illness or death, but from the looks on their faces – for they wore identical masks of horror – Rini would have to guess that they didn't know much about it. At least, when they'd been talking about her brother, they hadn't had any idea that they were talking about someone who was fatally ill. When Rini finished, the twins glanced at each other, and their shoulders slumped slightly, as if they were ashamed of themselves.

In a soft voice, Haruhi reached out and started to say, "Look, Rini…"

But to Haruhi's and the twin's surprise, Rini's face brightened and she said in a much more cheerful voice, "Please, don't worry about me and Yuki. I just wanted to tell you so that you'd know, but it's okay, we're doing fine and Papa's going to be able to pay the medical bills on time this month. I bring Yuki lots of food from home, and usually I read to him and stuff when I'm with him. A-and I've told him about you-" Rini went on, feeling like her mouth was just blabbering out of control like a runaway train, "-and the rest of the Host Club, and he thought you all sounded really amazing."

Rini smiled – a little more genuinely - when she remembered the conversation. The night before, when she'd confessed to Yuki what had happened with Mori in the kitchen, Yuki had let out a scratchy laugh and said, "Wow, he sounds so cool! I'll bet he likes you, Rini."

Rini's cheeks had flared pink and she'd exclaimed, "Yuki! Don't be silly, of course he doesn't like me! He only met me a few days ago!"

"Maybe he's seen you before and you just don't remember," Yuki said thoughtfully. His voice had sounded scratchier than usual. Rini smiled at her brother, who had been curled up in his blanket by her feet, his head resting in her lap as usual. Yuki often told her jokingly not to lose any weight or her legs wouldn't be as soft and comfortable, but Rini only pretended to laugh for his sake; really, the way Yuki looked, she would gladly have lost some weight if there was a way to transfer it to him so he looked healthier. Yuki thought he was disgusting. He never believed Rini when she tried to tell him about how beautiful his eyes were, or how soft and silky his hair felt when she ran her fingers through it.

She supposed it was a problem they both had. For when Yuki tried to tell her the same thing, she didn't believe him either. In her experience, boys weren't attracted to her because of her lack of confidence, not to mention the way she stuttered all the time. It had been something of a miracle that the Host Club had taken to her so quickly.

Thinking about what Yuki said, Rini had laughed a little to herself before answering, "Well, he does remind me of someone. Someone I met a long time ago." She sighed a little. "He has that same quiet strength as the boy who gave me this necklace. But of course-" Rini said, trying to be lighthearted, "-I never saw _him_ again after…well…you know."

Yuki nodded, his head snuggling into her lap. "Yeah. I know."

-------------------------------------------

As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, Rini shoved her things into her bag and got up from her seat. "I'm sorry, please excuse me," she mumbled to Haruhi. Without waiting for a reply, she scurried out of the classroom, leaving the others staring after her.

After sitting and looking at each other silently while the rest of the class left, Hikaru heaved a sigh and said, "Well…guess we screwed up pretty bad."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah. She hardly said anything at lunch."

"I can't believe it." Haruhi's voice was serious. "Her mother…and now her brother…I mean, I know what's it's like to lose my Mom, but to have to suffer through it all over again with someone else you love…I can't imagine how hard that must be for her." Haruhi took a deep breath. "Now I understand why she's always with her brother. She probably wants to spend as much time with him as she can."

"Yeah."

They all sat somberly for a moment. Hikaru asked, "So should we tell the others?"

"At least we should mention that she can't take the job," Kaoru said. Haruhi nodded.

"She had a really hard time telling just us. We shouldn't make her go through it again." Haruhi stood up slowly, and began to put her things away. "C'mon, guys – if we're late, Senpai's gonna think you kidnapped me or something."

----------------------------------

Rini wasn't paying attention to where she was going – as long as she got away from the others, that was all that mattered. So when she found herself in a completely unfamiliar part of the school, the first thing she felt was relief. She leaned up against one of the towering glass windows, pressing her hot forehead against the cool glass.

Well, at least now they knew. She didn't have to keep hiding it from them anymore. But she felt bad that she couldn't work for them. Because if she was perfectly honest with herself, she really had wanted to take the job and get to know the Host Club members better.

She liked Haruhi a lot, because she'd never met a girl like her before. Haruhi was genuinely kind, and completely nonjudgemental. Most of the girls in Rini's old school were only interested in boys, and they'd thought Rini was strange because she didn't feel the same way. That, and they'd thought she was stupid because of her stuttering when she was nervous. During the majority of middle school, Rini had spoken as little as possible, because she felt that whenever she opened her mouth, she never said exactly what she wanted to.

Often times, she wished that she could find someone that didn't require words to say what they wanted to say. Someone that could communicate things though their gaze, or their actions.

Rini bumped her head lightly against the glass, jarring away her memories. She supposed that she would see Haruhi in class every day, but it wasn't the same since they all had to pay attention to the teacher. Same with Hikaru and Kaoru – it seemed like she amused them, and even though sometimes they made her feel uncomfortable, she liked the fact that someone else actually found her interesting.

Meanwhile, Tamaki had been nothing but an exceptional gentleman to her thus far, which Rini appreciated due to her overactive nerves. And as the club's President, he'd been the one who officially offered her the job. She was grateful to him, and it made her feel awful that she'd have to disappoint him by turning him down.

The same went for Honey – sweet, bubbly, cake-loving Honey. The only things he needed to be happy were friends, stuffed animals, and sweets. Rini was happy that she had been able to provide one of them, at least once.

_If I get the chance_, she decided, _I'll make him a bunny cake. One with pink frosting and lots of flowers. I'll bet he'd like that-_

"RI-CHAN!!! RIIII-CHHAAANNN!"

The howl of anguish made Rini leap away from the window in fright. She whirled around. To her surprise, she saw none other than Honey charging toward her at an incredible speed, a flood of tears pouring down his face.

"Honey-senpai!" Rini hurried over to meet him. Without even stopping to think about whether she should or not, she flung her arms open wide. "What's wrong?"

Honey threw himself into her embrace, sobbing incoherently. "H-h-he's g-gone! I-I can't f-find him anywhere!"

"Who can't you find?" Rini held the back of Honey's head, stroking his hair as if she were his mother.

"It's Usa-chan!" Honey gasped for breath and then wailed, "I-I accidently left him in the classroom all alone and now he's gone! I-I think maybe someone stole him!"

**Soo...I am going to wait (try, anyway) until I've received at least 10 reviews before I post the next Part - so if you like this story so far and want to read more, then now's the time to speak up! I hope to hear from all of you! If you have any plot suggestions I'd like to hear them too.**

** Until next time,**

***~Suki~* **


	8. Chapter 8: Hidden Motives

**Hello, Everyone! A great big thanks to everyone who reviewed! It's getting tougher to write this story cuz of school and my own motivation, but I will absolutely finish it! I really like "Ouran" as an anime and since I've started I'm going to write it as best as I can! (maybe I'm still wiped out from my TMM fan fic - that was a killer for sure, and long no less!)**

**Ok, here's Episode Three, Part Two! **

Chapter Eight: Episode Three, Part Two: Hidden Motives

"What?" Rini wasn't sure she'd heard right. "You think someone stole Usa-chan?"

"Uh-huh." Honey was completely distraught. He pulled away so that he could look up at Rini tearfully and hiccup, "I-I got distracted cuz my younger brother showed up and after I fought him ,Takashi's kendo teacher pulled him out into the hallway-"

"You got in a fight?" Rini asked in alarm, her voice squeaking. "You mean a real fight? Are you all right?"

Honey nodded and swiped at his nose with his sleeve. "I'm fine," Honey said sadly, "B-but the bell rang while Takashi and I were talking to his teacher, and when I got back, my bag and Usa-chan were both gone!"

Honey bit his lower lip as it started to tremble again. But that didn't stop the tears from bubbling up in his big, brown eyes. The next moment, he was buried in Rini's arms again and sobbing his heart out onto her sweater.

It was strange – though seeing a high-school boy cry was rather odd, Rini found that she wasn't uneasy around him at all. On the contrary, she found that comforting him felt exactly the same as comforting her younger brother. When Yuki was little, something similar had happened to one of his favorite toys, and it only took Rini a moment to remember what she had done to make him feel better. Holding Honey in her arms, she thought she'd at least give it a try. Maybe it wouldn't work since Honey was in high school, but then again, a boy who loved stuffed animals as much as Honey had to possess at least some imagination.

"Hey, um, Honey-senpai…do you and Usa-chan…like to play games?"

Honey looked up, his face streaked with tears. "Huh?"

Rini began to dry his face with her sleeve as she spoke. "Well, you two are together most of the time, aren't you? Do you play together as well?"

"Uh-huh." Honey gave a great sniff. "And we eat cake together, and whenever we get tired we take naps too."

"I thought so. I've never seen a boy who loves his bunny as much as you do." Rini could see that Honey was beginning to calm down. In fact, he actually looked surprised that she was referring to Usa-chan as if he were a person. She continued, "What I was thinking, was that maybe Usa-chan just wants to play hide and seek."

Honey blinked. Rini went on, hoping that he didn't think she was a complete imbicile for telling him his stuffed rabbit could think for himself.

"Maybe he asked one of the girls from your class to help him hide, and that's why he was gone when you went back into the classroom. Maybe he's somewhere in the school right now, hoping that you'll play with him." Rini held her breath, waiting for the idea to sink in.

Honey thought about it for a long moment. His grip loosened, and Rini took a step away from him to give him back his space. He still looked quite surprised.

Then, a second later, Honey's face split into a huge smile and he exclaimed, "You're right, Ri-chan! Usa-chan wants to play hide and seek, and he says we're it!"

"We?" Rini asked. Honey grabbed her hand and began to run down the hall, with Rini just barely managing to keep up. The amazing thing was how fast he could run for how short he was.

"C'mon, Ri-chan!" Honey sounded excited as he called over his shoulder, "Usa-chan's really smart, so he could be anywhere in the entire school! Let's start in the elementary section! Maybe we'll have found him by the time Takashi's lesson is over!"

------------------------------------

"I see. So that's the whole story, is it?" Tamaki heaved a deep sigh and leaned back on the sofa, his expression quite serious. "And she said there's no cure?"

"Yeah." Haruhi glanced at each of the twins in turn. Besides the three of them, Tamaki and Kyoya were the only ones in the classroom. Mori had been called out of class early for some kind of extra kendo lesson, Honey was supposedly with him, and according to the first years, Rini had bolted as soon as class let out.

Haruhi glanced over at Kyoya – he didn't look surprised in the least. She supposed she should've known. Kyoya made it his business to know everything about everyone who entered the Host Club, no matter who they were. It was one of many things about him that Haruhi had had to struggle with when she was just getting to know him. Kyoya wasn't someone it was easy to make friends with, and it had taken a great deal of studying him to become more comfortable in his presence. Even now, she was sure there was still a lot she didn't know about his true feelings.

For example, she'd had absolutely no idea how he would act if he were to ever fall in love. He was certainly good with the customers, but that wasn't real love. Nothing about that façade was genuine. Haruhi knew by now that it took a lot to see his truly genuine side, because Kyoya was a master at guarding his feelings if it meant he had something to gain. If Haruhi didn't know better, she'd almost say it was against Kyoya's personality to develop feelings of affection for a girl.

That's why everyone had been so caught off guard when Kyoya let loose his blistering criticism the day before. He'd shown them his true feelings, and no one had known what to do except for Tamaki. Haruhi had watched him follow Kyoya out of the room, knowing that if anyone could figure out what had made Kyoya snap, it was him.

Today, Kyoya was back to his normal self. He looked completely detached and unsurprised at the news that Rini's brother had a rare, incurable disease, and as Haruhi and the twins spilled the story to the two second-years, Haruhi wondered if maybe Kyoya was simply a hollowed out stone shell that didn't have feelings or any emotions at all.

Haruhi asked him, "You knew all along, didn't you, Kyoya-senpai?"

"Indeed." Kyoya's eyes didn't leave Haruhi's as he said, "Yuki Ikumi's medical research is being financed by my family."

"You're kidding!" Haruhi knew she shouldn't be surprised, since Kyoya's family was involved in hospital management, but still…how could he have known this whole time that Rini's brother was sick and still managed to act so coldly toward her? Didn't he have any sympathy?

"So you knew about her Mom too?" the twins asked. Haruhi's stomach twinged. She knew all about the pain of losing her mother to disease – her own had died ten years ago, leaving her to take care of both herself and her grieving father. It made Haruhi feel even more sorry for Rini, since she seemed so nervous and scared all the time.

Kyoya said calmly, "My father and brothers have been handling the case since the disease was first discovered. Although the details of Yuki's condition are confidential, I understand that my family has invested large amounts of money into finding a cure. We've had specialists flown in from around the globe, and we've dipped into every available resource at our disposal. The loss of Ms. Rini's mother was unfortunate…but we're hoping that as long as the doctors continue their work with Yuki Ikumi, they'll be able to discover how the disease works and, more importantly, how to manufacture the cure."

As Kyoya was speaking, Tamaki regarded the table with quiet eyes, his mind far away from the conversation. Haruhi wondered if he was remembering his mother, who had been sick during most of Tamaki's childhood. As she recalled, that was how he'd gotten so good at playing the piano.

Haruhi sighed – all this conversation and remembering was making her uncharacteristically depressed.

"I feel really bad for Rini," Haruhi confessed. "Here we were pressuring her to take this job, and we had no idea what was really going on."

Tamaki blinked, the sound of Haruhi's voice bringing him back to the present. Beside her, Hikaru said somberly, "We figured we should tell you guys so that she wouldn't have to say it all over again."

Tamaki nodded slowly. "That was thoughtful of you. I'm glad." He ran a long, elegant hand through his hair, which somehow made it look even better than it had previously. "You know, it's funny though…I think she actually did want the job very much."

"I think you're right, Senpai." Haruhi looked Tamaki in the eyes as she spoke. "I don't think Rini's ever really had any friends." She laughed a little, a sudden thought occurring to her. "She's kind of like all of us were before the Host Club, isn't she? We were all alone, stuck in our own worlds. Some of us made friends, but not the kind that we could ever get really close to. And some of us didn't even make friends at all, because we were too afraid to open up to anyone else."

The air in the room went very still as everyone thought about what she was saying. Even Kyoya was listening now. A very, very slight crease had formed between his eyebrows, as if he were developing a headache. Haruhi continued, "For Rini, it's always been about taking care of her family. And even though I'm sure she loves them all a lot, it's hard feeling like you don't belong with anyone else. It's hard thinking that no one else thinks your special, or no one knows you well enough to really care what's going on in your life. I think she wanted the job because she saw that we actually liked her and we appreciate her. And even then, I think she also wanted the job because she wants to help her family even more than she has been already."

"She's the kind of girl," Hikaru added, "who just does stuff for other people to make them happy."

"She'd even wear that maid's outfit if she thought it would make us happy," Kaoru said, staring down at a speck on the carpet.

"I don't doubt it." Tamaki poked Kyoya gently in the shoulder. "So, Kyoya...that's why you convinced the administrators to change the student handbook, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Haruhi stared at the two second-years. "What do you mean, Senpai?"

"Well…" Tamaki crossed one leg elegantly over the other and said, "Remember when you had that job in Karuizawa? At that adorable little pension?"

_Oh…that. Worst summer of my life, actually. How could I forget that?_ "What about it?" Haruhi said sourly. As she recalled, the Host Club had been a complete nuisance and spoiled the relaxing vacation she'd been looking forward to. She still hadn't quite gotten over the way Tamaki had swooped down upon her in a helicopter, screaming at her through a megaphone that he was going to save her. The memory still made her cringe inside.

The entire summer hadn't been a complete bust though – she'd learned an awful lot about Hikaru and Kaoru, and that beneath the act they always put on, there were a lot of things that were too dark for them to talk about with anyone. It had allowed them to become even better friends, and now Haruhi knew for sure that if anything ever happened to either of them again, or if something happened to her, they would be there for each other.

"The rule was that students at Ouran couldn't work, remember?" Tamaki said. Haruhi gasped.

"I completely forgot about that!" she shouted.

"You didn't know about it last time either," the twins added.

"So if Rini had accepted the job, she could've gotten expelled! Kyoya-senpai, did you plan this or something?" Haruhi accused. Kyoya shook his head.

"Not in the least."

"So then, what's going on?" Haruhi demanded.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose calmly. "As soon as I heard Ms. Rini had enrolled at Ouran, I talked to the administration and convinced them the rule needed to be changed."

"But how-? Oh…" Haruhi's eyes widened. "I get it! You already knew about her family's situation, so you knew she might want a job so she could help with her family's medical bills! That's why you said you were 'confident that she'd accept our proposal' or whatever, right?" Inside, Haruhi was reeling. Was Kyoya trying to give Rini a job after all? But then why had he been so critical the day before?

"That's not all." Tamaki elbowed Kyoya playfully. "He knew Rini was a good cook too! So he made sure Rini was put in your class so that she'd meet you three and then inevitably end up here at the Host Club! Where Honey-senpai and everyone else could confirm how delicious her cake was!"

"But how did you know she could cook?" the twins asked. Even they looked amazed at Kyoya's scheming now. A slight smirk appeared on Kyoya's lips as he surveyed them all. But it wasn't a pleasant smile. It was quite bitter, as if Kyoya had an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"I've heard my family members…my parents and brothers…talk about the Ikumi's. I've heard them talk about what the nurses say at the hospital, and how they all enjoy the food Ms. Rini brings in. My father …thought it was humorous." Kyoya looked past Haruhi, avoiding her angry expression. "Despite the fact that we have a contract, the Ootori's and Mr. Ikumi do not do well in each other's company. It's a relationship born out of pure necessity."

"Necessity?" the twins asked.

"I don't get it," Hikaru said.

"It makes sense that Mr. Ikumi needs the Ootori's because of Yuki's disease, but why do the Ootori's need the Ikumi's?" Kaoru asked.

"It's quite simple." There was definetly a dark note in Kyoya's voice now. "Yuki Ikumi's condition is a complete medical phenomenon. It defies almost everything we know about how the human body works. It's a mystery that's been plaguing science since its first documentation. Anyone who discovered the cure would gain great power and prestige in the world of medicine."

Haruhi's fists clenched. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so disgusted. "So…they're treating her brother like a science experiment?" she said, her voice shaking with fury. "They're just want to solve the puzzle so they can take the credit for curing the incurable, mystery disease?"

The light reflected off of Kyoya's glasses so Haruhi couldn't see his eyes. "Exactly."

Behind them, the door burst open, and Honey leaped inside. Haruhi jumped in her seat.

"GAH! Honey-senpai, what-?"

"You can't hide forever, Usa-chan! I've got you now!"

**Till Part Three,**

***~Suki~***


	9. Chapter 9: Revelations

**Hey, Guys! Not much to say on this one, except the romance meter zooms way up and it's just going to keep getting higher! (I have plans, lol). Hope you like it, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!!!**

Chapter Nine: Episode Three, Part Three: Revelations

Rini felt that, at any moment, she was going to fall over from exhaustion. After exploring every single classroom in the elementary section, she and Honey had charged onto the middle school section, and then finally the high school section, with only a few spare rooms they hadn't yet covered. Honey had decided to make the Host Club one of his stops, so without even the slightest hint of fatigue, he'd sprinted down the hallway and burst through the doors of the Third Music Room. His single-minded determination to track down Usa-chan was a force to be reckoned with. Rini made a mental note never to use this tactic on him again.

Maybe if Mori had been with Honey he could have calmed him down and Rini wouldn't have had to say anything. But they hadn't run into him at all during their expedition across the school – presumably he was still in his extra kendo class. Rini wondered if Honey had even told Mori where he was going. Surely if Mori had seen how upset Honey was, he would've stopped what he was doing to go and help him out.

Staggering, Rini came up behind Honey as he was explaining himself to the people already in the Club room. Rini's heart leaped – not only were Haruhi and the twins in the room, but they were sitting across from Tamaki and Kyoya as well.

Rini felt her sweat grow cold. Kyoya's was watching her from behind his glasses. She wondered if Tamaki had ever convinced him to try her cake. He wasn't exactly looking at her in a friendly way – but it wasn't completely hostile either. Embarrassed, Rini tore her eyes away.

"Rini!" It was Haruhi who had spoken with such surprise. "You've been with Honey-senpai this whole time?"

Rini was still trying to catch her breath. "Uh…huh…" she panted. She placed a hand against the doorframe to steady herself. In front of her, Honey had his hands planted firmly on his hips and he was sweeping the room stealthily with his bright, brown eyes. "We…we…we…"

"We haven't found him yet," Honey filled in cheerfully. "We've gone through the entire school so far and we haven't found Usa-chan at all! He's really good at hiding!"

Tamaki looked flabbergasted. "You dragged Ms. Rini through the entire school?"

"Uh-huh!" Honey nodded happily. "We're having a lot of fun! Well, I guess if he's not here then we'll just keep looking!" Turning, he grabbed Rini's hand and started to go back the way they'd come, much to Rini's dismay. "C'mon, let's start with the-"

"Just a moment, Honey-senpai."

"Huh?" Honey looked back over his shoulder. Rini was surpised to find that it was Kyoya who'd spoken. He'd stood up, and he was walking toward them with his normal, expressionless air.

Rini stood frozen, unable to budge. Even though she believed that the third son of the Ootori group was somehow a kinder person than his elders, that didn't mean she wasn't still scared of him. But she wanted to get past that. She wanted to understand him.

She wanted to see for sure that he was different.

"Before you go dragging Ms. Rini off again," Kyoya said evenly, "Allow me to apologize to her for leaving so suddenly yesterday." He stopped right in front of Rini, looking completely in his element of composure and control. To Rini's surprise, he inclined his head and spoke directly to her.

"Please excuse my rudeness – I specifically asked you to bring in a sample of your work the first day you entered the Host Club, and then I left early on account of some business I had to attend to. I extend my sincerest apologies."

The way his voice had changed to a polite, pleasant note shocked Rini. But more than that, she was pleased. This was most likely how he spoke to customers, or anyone he was only aquaintences with, but even so, Rini could tell it came naturally to him because he used that tone so often. In her mind, that already made him kinder than his brothers and father – for when they met with her father in meetings about Yuki, they did nothing to disguise their contempt of him. Kyoya actually made an effort to look and sound polite. It didn't matter to Rini if he was actually being genuine – at least he had the decency to present the face of someone who actually cared. Maybe that meant that somewhere deep down, he really did.

Rini's face exploded into a smile. "N-no, it's all right! Thank you, thank you so much!" She bowed low, unable to contain her delight. Despite the nervousness that still lingered, she felt positively elated with her realization.

Kyoya, however, was caught off guard. "I beg your pardon? For what?"

"W-well…" Rini stared up into his eyes, which were pratically shining with happiness, "Because you're so nice! I knew it, I knew you weren't the same!"

----------------------------

Even though perhaps no one else understood what this meant, it hit Kyoya like a bolt of lightening. His entire body went rigid, and it took everything in his power not to let his emotions flash across his face. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard her say.

"Ms. Rini-"

"W-wait here!" Rini let go of Honey's hand and dashed to the back of the room with renewed vigor. "Please, I'll be right back!" She disappeared through the back door, presumably into the kitchen. Kyoya didn't budge from his spot.

Honey peered around Kyoya's body unhappily. "Ri-chan?" he asked, his voice trembling with his abandonment. "Where did she-?"

"Honey-senpai." Kyoya found he was having difficulty speaking. "The ladies from your class delivered your things earlier."

Honey blinked. "Huh?"

Kyoya was slowly regaining his ability to think and his mobility. He gestured to a spot behind the door, his arm stiff. "We told them to leave your things there. They thought you had forgotten them when you went out of the classroom."

Without wasting a moment, Honey dashed around Kyoya and found the briefcase and his beloved stuffed bunny, which had been sitting unobtrusively in the corner the entire time. Honey shouted, "I found you!" and grabbed Usa-chan so he could hold him in his arms. "You are a really good hider, Usa-chan! But I was worried! Next time tell me before you decide to play hide and seek, 'kay?"

Haruhi, Tamaki, and the twins watched uncomprehendingly. Meanwhile, Kyoya had only just managed to turn around and take a step back toward the others when Rini flew back out of the kitchen with a slice of her chocolate, rose-studded cake and a fork on a plate. She hurried over to Kyoya and, with the air of complete servitude, bowed her head and held it out to him.

"P-please! Please try it," she begged. "I know it's not as good as a professional's, but I tried my best and I'm so grateful that you and Tamkai-senpai gave me a chance to have a job! It would mean so much to me if you were able to taste it!"

Behind Rini, the others were holding their breath. Tamaki's brilliant eyes darted back and forth between the chocolate cake on the plate and Kyoya's face nervously, clearly afraid that Kyoya might let loose some critical tirade again. After all, he'd said the day before that he'd never eat something made by a commoner.

But perhaps it was the fact that Rini was standing right in front of him that made it impossible for him to say no. Or maybe it was the fact that Rini had told him he was nicer, and not "the same", and that she'd been so incredibly grateful for a simple apology. Regardless, Rini had said something that Kyoya could never have imagined she would.

He stared past the cake at Rini's bent head, completely stunned. He still retained his mask of politeness and calm, even though he could feel the tension of the others in the air as they waited for him to move. However, past the mask and inside his mind, he was at a complete loss. In his memory, no one had ever told him that he was nicer than his brothers. Inferior, yes. Better-looking, yes. But never this.

In Kyoya's mind, the true miracle was that the one person he'd expected to judge him – to lump him in with the rest of those cruel, heartless bastards – had been the person who believed the most in his inherent kindness. He could tell by the way Rini had smiled at him. She'd been overjoyed that he'd made an effort to be nice to her.

But she hadn't heard him the day before. She hadn't heard his rudeness, his cruelty. He'd explained some of the situation to Tamaki - at the very least, his connection to Rini – but he hadn't disclosed the real reason that Rini had bothered him so. And it wasn't because she was a commoner, or because of her personality. The real reason had been buried so deep within him, that he hadn't been able to see it until now.

He felt as if a great burden had been lifted from him. Rini wasn't judging him. Rini didn't hold his family against him. It didn't matter whether he actually was as much a monster as the rest of the Ootori's – as long as Rini didn't think so, that was all that mattered.

Wordlessly, Kyoya took the plate from Rini's hands, picked the fork up in his long fingers, and cut off a corner of the thick chocolate cake. He slid it in his mouth, and stared ahead silently. He had to concentrate to think about exactly what he was tasting.

Which was very hard to do with Rini standing right there in front of him, her clasped hands twitching nervously, and her enormous blue eyes staring directly at him with so much hope and anxiety. Kyoya didn't recall ever seeing eyes as compelling as hers. He had to struggle not to stare right back.

It didn't take long for his mind to go completely haywire with disbelief, though as usual, he retained the same outward demeanor of composure and calm. How in the world could this cake taste so…exquisite? It had been made by an amateur, with supermarket ingredients, in a commoner's kitchen! How could the texture be so perfectly balanced, and how could the frosting be so creamy and smooth? There were dark, rich notes in the chocolate that he knew couldn't possibly be there according to the quality of the chocolate she bought. How could Rini's cake taste ten times better than any expensive, professional chocolate cake he'd ever had before?

After he finally – reluctantly – swallowed what was in his mouth, he gave up and surrendered to those strange, brilliant eyes, merely saying, "You should reconsider your decision not to work for the Host Club."

--------------------------------------------

The air in the room warmed as everyone let out a sigh of relief. Tamaki laughed shakily, raking his hand through his hair.

"Well, that settles it! If Kyoya approves of your skills, then you simply _can't _say no to us now!" Tamaki leaped off of the sofa and gracefully swooped down upon Rini, catching her cheek in his hand.

"My dear Princess," he whispered, staring straight into her eyes, "I beg of you, do not even think of denying us the pleasure of your company any longer! Work for us! Be our chef, our servant, our maid!"

Rini's face went as red as a siren. "Oh, b-but I, b-b-but I-"

"C'mon, Ri-chan!" the twins wheedled.

"Pleeeeaaaasssseee?" Honey begged.

"Y'know, that servant argument isn't very convincing, Senpai," Haruhi muttered. Tamaki turned to her with pleading eyes.

"Haruhi! Convince Princess Rini to stay with your feminine charms!" he exclaimed. The twins snickered.

"What are you talking about, Boss? Haruhi doesn't have any feminine charms," they jeered.

"You do realize I can _hear _you, right?" Haruhi growled from the couch. The twins pounced on Haruhi and began to nuzzle her on either side of her face.

"We're sorry, Haruhi!" They didn't sound sorry in the least. Haruhi rolled her eyes, slouching down to suffer through their embrace.

Rini felt choked by both the pleasure of their words and the pain of her internal conflict. She wanted to stay so badly. Not only did these people accept her, they _wanted_ to be her friend. Even though they all knew everything that had happened with her family. They weren't judging her or criticizing her. They weren't shying away from her because she was different. They weren't rich snobs who enjoyed making fun of her.

It seemed that they liked her simply for who she was. And that made Rini incredibly happy. She desprately wished there was some way for her father to change his mind…

_SLAM!_

Rini jumped about a foot in the air, and Honey said brightly, "Takashi! You're finally here!" Rini whirled around on the spot.

Mori looked as if he'd just sprinted across the campus. Standing in the doorway, he was breathing from deep within his chest, the muscle straining at his uniform. His eyes were fixed on Honey, a mixed reflection of panic and relief. Rini realized that Honey must not have told Mori where he was going.

Mori bound over to Honey in three long strides and knelt down before him. His gaze was like steel. "Where did you go while I was in practice?" he asked, his voice low. It radiated with something injured.

Honey wilted slightly under his gaze. "I'm sorry, Takashi," he said. His large brown eyes suddenly became unusually wet and bright. "I forgot Usa-chan when I left the classroom with you, and when your teacher told me he only wanted you there I went back to get Usa-chan he was gone. I went to look for him. I'm…I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going."

Mori stared at him. "Someone stole Usa-chan?"

"That's what I thought when I first saw he was gone," Honey said. His expression abruptly cheered as he said, "But then I found Ri-chan, and she made me feel all better! She told me Usa-chan was playing hide and seek!"

Mori had to repeat the statement back as a question to fully understand what Honey had just said. "He was playing hide and seek?"

Honey beamed. "Yup! So Ri-chan and I looked everywhere until we ended up here! And it turns out he was hiding here all along!" Honey squeezed the stuffed bunny happily and said, "Usa-chan's pretty smart, isn't he?"

Mori didn't respond. He didn't even blink. After staring at Honey for a moment longer, he stood up slowly, his long legs unfolding to their full length. Then he turned around and walked stiffly back out the door, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking down at the ground. The door closed quietly behind him. No one else in the room made a sound.

Honey looked completely devastated. His brown eyes were rapidly filling up with tears again. T-Taka…shi?"

The horrible sadness in Honey's voice tore at Rini. Acting on a completely reckless instinct, she ducked past Kyoya and rushed out the door after Mori. She heard Tamaki call, "Princess Rini!" behind her, but she didn't turn around. Slamming the door shut behind her, Rini whirled around and called out desprately, "Mori-senpai, wait-!"

Mori paused. He'd only managed to walk a few feet before Rini burst out after him. Rini was amazed at how dejected his posture was – he was hunched over, as if he wished he could somehow become small enough to sink through the floor.

"Please-" Rini paused. Now that she was out here, she realized how stupid it was for her to have come rushing out without thinking about what she was doing. It was strange though – she rarely ever acted so impulsively. But the sight of both Honey's grief and Mori's silent sadness was somehow impossible for her to ignore. Maybe it wasn't any of her business – but then again, it had been she who had accompanied Honey the entire afternoon instead of Mori.

"Please," she started again after her falter, "I-I'm sorry. I should've brought Honey-senpai back, but I didn't think – I mean, he didn't tell me – I didn't know he didn't tell you that - we were just-"

"It's not that."

"Huh?" Rini asked. With a flush of embarrassment, she realized how incoherent she must've sounded. It was quite a miracle he'd managed to deduce anything from her words at all. Though Rini had the impression Mori was probably an exceptionally good listener, since he didn't say very much. Mori didn't need to use words for others to feel his presence.

Mori said, in a very quiet, sad sort of voice, "It's my fault. I wasn't there for Mitskuni when he needed me the most. When he was upset, I wasn't there to comfort him."

Mori seemed to slouch even lower, his head bowing in shame. He didn't even want to turn around. "I know how much Usa-chan means to him. I know he was probably scared, and I was too busy to even know that something had happened. By the time I got out of class, he was already gone. I had…no idea that something was wrong."

His voice rumbled like the remnants of thunder after a heavy spring rain. Rini was amazed at the level of complete devotion he had for Honey. It was as if he were personally blaming himself for not sensing that something bad had happened. Rini didn't really understand why he felt so guilty.

But then again…the more Rini thought about it, the more she realized that it wasn't so strange. In fact, there had been times when Yuki had had to undergo a painful medical test or procedure, and Rini had been in school and unable to come see him until after it was all over. She remembered the horrible, sick feeling she got in her stomach when she came to the hospital after school and saw him lying in his bed, his face pale and his fists clenching in pain. Her father had wanted her to go to school – he was very adamant that she put her studies first – but she always wished she could be by Yuki's side instead, comforting him and holding his hand.

Rini took a hesitant step toward Mori, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. "I think it's wonderful," she said timidly, trying to keep her voice from squeaking, "the way you want to be there for him no matter what. Honey-senpai is really lucky to have someone like you as a friend. And, well, I don't think he's upset that you weren't there when Usa-chan went missing. I think…I think he just wanted you to enjoy your lesson, so he tried to handle his problem on his own. Maybe…he was trying to be considerate."

Mori froze, and Rini had the impression of a dog perking up its ears to listen. "And he got through it just fine. He was a little upset at first, but he calmed down really quickly and then the next minute he was smiling and laughing again. We went around the entire school-"

"You told him Usa-chan was playing a game."

Rini stopped abruptly. She wondered if he was mad – turned around as he was, it was even harder than normal to tell what he was thinking. She hoped that she hadn't made some kind of mistake. Honey had seemed to like the idea.

"W-well," she stammered, her nerves spiking sporadically, "I-I just thought I-"

But the rest of her words were lost in transition, abandoned, completely forgotten, when Mori turned swiftly around, swallowed up the distance between them in two huge strides, and engulfed her in a warm, strong embrace.

Rini felt like there were land mines exploding throughout her entire body. The muscles his chest and arms were so solid, yet his skin radiated heat through the material of his uniform and seemed to make her melt instantly. Her legs grew weak with her disbelief, and just when she feared she was going to fall over, Mori brought her even closer to his chest, his arms forming an strong, safe haven that Rini irrationally prayed she would never have to leave.

"You knew what to do to help Mitskuni."

Rini felt dizzy with equal measures of panic and elation – Mori's low, soft voice in her ear was like the purr of an enormous cat, the vibrations sending shudder after shudder down Rini's spine. This feeling…being held by Mori, being comforted by him…why did it feel so familiar? Why did she feel like that had happened before?

Why did being in Mori's arms feel like the most wonderful, amazing thing in the entire world?

Mori continued in his soft, rumbling purr. "You comforted him and made him happy again. Arigato…Ms. Rini."

Hearing him say her name felt like a thousand jolts of hot energy zapped Rini all at once – it made her happier than she could ever remember being, maybe in her entire life. But the way he said her name…that was familiar too. Maybe she'd…met someone like him before…?

"You're welcome," she managed to reply. She expected him to let go, for the wonderful moment to end, but to her surprise, he held on for another long, silent moment before slowly pulling away. He let go of her shoulders last, letting his hands slide off carefully so that she wouldn't lose her balance and stumble.

"Let's go back," Mori said softly. Rini nodded.

"Okay."

Something had changed between them – Rini was sure Mori could feel it. She wondered what he had felt during that embrace. Had he experienced the same combination of terror and limitless joy that she had? Had he wished that it didn't have to end?

At that moment, Rini found the courage to look up at Mori's face, and all her rambling thoughts were obliterated into space.

Mori's eyes, the bluish-gray color of a storm-tossed sea, were fixed on her as if she were the only person in the world. And…he was smiling. A quiet, simple, beautiful smile that made Rini wonder if the whole day had been nothing but a glorious, wonderful dream.

**From here on out, things will be getting even more interesting (hopefully, anyway, if I'm doing my job right, lol). I will try to make sure I don't write anyone OOC, but hey...who can say how Kyoya or Mori would act if either of them were to ever fall for someone? Hopefully I will create a decent representation in this story!**

**Till the Next Episode,**

***~Suki~***


	10. Chapter 10: The Fear of Children

**IT'S BEEN A REALLY REALLY REALLY LONG TIME SINCE I'VE UPDATED! MY GREATEST APOLOGIES!!!! And this is definetly not the greatest chapter in the world, nor it it very long at all, but school/life has been kicking my butt so it's going to go a lot slower from now on! But I would feel bad if I didn't finish it, so even though I started it a long time ago, I still want to at least try and finish it! (Ugh, but I've still got a long way to go...gah...)**

**So we left off with Mori giving Rini a hug, right? Okay...**

Chapter Ten: Episode Four, Part One: The Fear of Children

_Rini's skin was too cold. The rain from outside was still clinging to her hair, making her shiver in the hospital waiting room. She was trying desperately to quiet her baby brother, Yuki, who was crying because it was late and he wanted to be at home asleep in his crib. He didn't understand that their Mother was dying. _

They have to save her,_ Rini thought desperately. _Please, she has to be okay, she has to-

_"What's wrong?"_

_Rini started. A boy had suddenly come up to her. He stared at her with serious eyes, eyes that didn't belong on such a young face. _

_Rini was scared. Perhaps he was angry that Yuki was crying. Perhaps he was annoyed with her. She said, "M-m-my M-Mama is sick."_

_Yuki suddenly let out a high-pitched wail, more miserable than ever. Rini bounced her knee, her face knotted unhappily, her face burning with embarrassment and stress. "Sshh, please, Yuki-"_

_"Hey, kid!" A middle-aged man, the only other person in the room since the last couple had left, was glaring at Yuki and Rini as if their presence was personally offending him. He looked like he'd been there for a long time. His flushed face was irritated. "You need to get that kid to shut up-"_

_The boy suddenly lunged, drawing back a quick fist and punching the man directly in the nose. The man leaped to his feet with a barrage of swears._

_"Why you little punk-!"_

_"Mr…. Schwartz?" Miraculously, a nurse had appeared with a clipboard in hand, and was surveying the nearly empty room with the look of someone who was bored with her job. "Mr. Schwartz? Michael Schwartz?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," the middle-aged man said gruffly. His nose had begun to bleed. When the nurse saw him, her bored expression vanished._

_"Right this way, sir," she said, grabbing his wrist and almost dragging him toward the restrooms. Perhaps she didn't want him dripping blood on the floor. _

_As the nurse pulled him along, the man shot one last dirty glance at the boy before he disappeared down the hall. The boy had stood tense the entire time, both hands balled up into defensive fists. Like a dog with its hackles raised, he didn't budge until their footsteps had completely receded into silence. Then he turned around._

_"Are you all right?"_

_His fierce expression had abruptly vanished. Instead he was regarding Rini as he would a baby, or maybe a wounded animal he didn't want to scare. Rini stared back, completely speechless. Yuki's crying had finally faded down to a whimper._

_"Y-yes. I'm okay."_

Rini blinked, confused for a moment about where exactly she was. Then, of course, she realized that she'd been dreaming again. Remembering the boy in the hospital, the night her mother died.

She hadn't dreamed about him in a long time. But seeing him again in her mind, it suddenly became very apparent that the boy bore a striking resemblance in both looks and personality to Mori. She almost might've jumped to the conclusion that Mori _was_ the boy. Though the idea made her shudder with delight, she knew that it was very, very unlikely.

At the time of her mother's death, they had been living in Sweden. Yes, the Ootori's influence extended even outside of Japan, but more importantly, at the time their mother had been too sick to travel all the way to Japan. So what were the chances that Mori had been in Sweden as a child, in the middle of winter, at that particular hospital, on that exact night, between the hours of nine and eleven forty-five? For Rini and Yuki had been left in the waiting room for almost three hours, during which the doctors tried everything they could to save their Mother. The boy had showed up at 9:05, and hadn't left until Rini's Father – a shell-shocked, remnant of a man – came to take Rini and Yuki home.

In many ways, Mori was like the boy. He was tall. He was strong. He was kind. He gave Rini a warm, unexplainable feeling in her chest. But there was just no way it could've been him. It would be too much of a coincidence, and though Rini didn't have any grand ideas about fate or how the universe worked, she knew enough about how her own life had progressed thus far to know that these kinds of things just didn't happen to her. It would be too good to be true.

_Ring ring!_

Rini jumped out of her skin. On her nightstand, her cell phone continued to sound off until she snatched it off the table and flipped it open. Glancing at the number on the screen, she was thrust into a panic when she recognized it to be from the hospital. Specifically Yuki's room – they had a special room just for him, sort of like a second bedroom, except with lots of fancy medical machines.

"Hello? Yuki?"

"Rini…" Yuki's voice was small. And scared. "I'm sorry for calling you, b-but Papa's phone's busy and I didn't know what else to-"

"It's okay," Rini said, trying to soothe him. She was reminded of the memory she'd just been dreaming about. "What happened?"

"I…I found out this morning that they're doing a new test. It's never even been done before, I mean, not on a person or anything." Rini could hear his voice trembling. "Th-they said there were some uncomfortable side affects and that it would hurt a lot. I could do that and be okay, b-but it's just that, well, it's brand new and maybe it's not going to work and then the pain will be for nothing-"

Rini's heart sank. Why did they have to scare him like this? It wasn't the first time the doctors had informed Yuki of a new, experimental procedure they were going to inflict upon him with no guarantee of it actually succeeding. It made their Father furious, but as the contract was written, the doctors were allowed to do virtually whatever they wanted to Yuki in their efforts to learn more about the disease and find a cure. Rini just hated how little they cared about Yuki's feelings. After years and years of treating him this way, the leading researchers and doctors barely saw Yuki as a human anymore. Just some strange medical phenomenon that they couldn't figure out.

Rini was already getting out of bed. "I'll be there in half an hour," she said, cradling the phone on her shoulder and pulling her nightgown off over her head.

"You don't have to do that, I just wanted to talk to you before it started so I could hear your voice-"

"No way." Rini raced down the hall into the bathroom for her toothbrush. With a twinge, she realized that the procedure was likely to happen in the late morning, which meant that she would need to skip school today in order to stay with Yuki. Which meant she would miss seeing the Host Club…specifically dealing with Mori after what had happened the day before…

Well, there was nothing to do about it. There was no way she was going to leave Yuki alone. She was supposed to take care of him. It was what she'd always done, and it was what she always wanted to do for as long as Yuki needed her.

"Are you sure, Sis? I don't want you to come if you're missing something important. What about the Host Club?"

Rini spit into the sink. "It's okay." She saw Mori's iron eyes in her mind. "I need time away from it to think for a while."

**All right! I'll try to do better next time and write more! Thanks for reading, everyone, you don't know how much I appreciate it!**

**MLTA,**

***~Suki~***


	11. Chapter 11: A Strange Call

**Hey, Guys! Here's another short chapter! I figure I should just do smaller chapters from now on because I'm having such a time concentrating. It's like I'm relapsing back to the attention span of a five year old.**

**I don't own Host Club. As we all know.**

**Here's the next part of Episode 4!**

Chapter Eleven: Episode Four, Part Two: A Strange Call

The sky outside the bedroom window had long since turned dark when Yuki suddenly asked, "Hey, Rini? Have you heard anything from the Host Club about the job?"

Rini was startled. She'd been reading for the last ten minutes, while Yuki ignored his dinner tray and tried to overcome the nausea induced from the test. It had indeed been a rather uncomfortable ordeal, but afterwards Yuki been able to get a little sleep, and more importantly, they had let Rini stay with him the entire time.

Despite everything else the hospital put him through, Rini was at least grateful that they let him furnish his room however he chose. Being a long-term – perhaps life-time – patient, they had even let him go so far as to paint the walls a different color and move in the old rocking chair from his room at home. Cards from Rini and the nursing staff hung on his walls, and once a week Rini brought in new flowers to switch out with the old ones. A small bookshelf was filled with books either owned or checked out for an extended period of time from the library. His wheelchair was parked on the other side of the bed, next to the machine that fed him medicine to temper his pain.

Rini paused, the book open on her lap. "Well…" she swallowed uncomfortably. "I haven't decided yet whether I want to do it or not. I mean…I really like them, but Papa said-"

"C'mon, Rini, you know Papa's got it wrong." Yuki smiled encouragingly. "Not all rich people are like the Ootoris."

"Yeah, but Kyoya Ootori is in the Club." Rini sighed. "And I don't know if I can lie to Papa for that long."

"It's not like you're doing anything bad." Yuki suddenly wiggled his eyebrows. "Or maybe you are? You are hanging out with a bunch of boys, after all."

Rini bopped him on the head with the open book. "Yuki! There's no way, I'm sure there are plenty of other girls-"

Yuki silenced her abruptly by reaching over with one hand and touching her arm. "Rini." His eyes demanded her attention. "You're a million times more amazing than those rich girls. And I'm not saying that just cuz I'm your brother, either."

"Yuki." Rini's shoulders slumped. "I'm not amazing at Ouran. In fact, I'm probably the most pathetic girl there. They're probably just giving me the job because they feel sorry for me."

"That's not true!" The energy in Yuki's voice caught Rini off guard. He gripped her arm tighter. "They're doing it because they like you and because you're really good at cooking! C'mon, Rini, just take the job!"

Rini was still wavering. "But Yuki-"

"No more 'but Yuki's'! If I can't go to school and have friends, at least you should!"

"But…but…"

Rini's body began to tremble. She bit her bottom lip. Yuki sensed her change in mood immediately.

"Rini? Rini? What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Yuki tried to sit up. Rini stopped him immedietly, a catch in her voice.

"N-n-no, Yuki, don't move, you'll hurt yourself-!"

"Rini, what's the matter?"

Rini was having difficulty speaking. "I-I just…it's just that…well, one of the boys there…M-Mori-sempai…I was wondering if he might be…_him._"

Yuki's eyes went wide. Even though he'd been too young to remember, Yuki knew exactly who _him_ was without any explanation. She'd told Yuki the story about the necklace many times. "Really? Wow, that would be amazing! What makes you think that?"

"It was…just a thought. There's no way it could possibly be him." Rini scuffed her foot against the floor. "It'd be too much of a coincidence."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Yuki looked disappointed, as if Rini had somehow let him down.

_Ring ring!_

Rini jumped in her seat. It was her cell phone. Pulling it out of her pocket, it took her a few seconds of staring at the name on the screen to register who it was.

"…It's…it's…Kyoya Ootori," she gasped.

Yuki's mouth fell open. "Ootori?" he gasped. "He's in the Club, right?"

"Y-yeah." Rini's eyes darted to Yuki. "Should I answer it?"

"Well, yeah! How often does an Ootori willingly talk to us?"

He had a point. But Kyoya was different. Though that didn't explain why he was calling. Her chest fluttering nervously, Rini pressed the TALK button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Ikumi? This is Kyoya Ootori."

"Oh! H-hello, Kyoya-sempai."

"I noticed you did not attend school today. Are you feeling all right?"

Kyoya's voice was light and pleasant. Rini was relieved.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said. "I was with Yuki today. He had an experimental procedure and he didn't want to be alone."

There was a short pause. "I see." Kyoya didn't sound that surprised. "Indeed, you do seem to possess a nature that is naturally inclined toward caring for others. You would make a fine addition to our Host Club."

The compliment made Rini's chest leap. "Th-thanks," she said, gripping the phone tight. "I-I'm sorry I still hadn't decided yet."

"Would be open to a trial?"

"Huh?"

Kyoya reiterated, "I can give you one week – paid, of course – to try working at the Host Club so you can decide if you'd like to continue or not."

Somehow, that felt much better than commiting to work for the Host Club until the end of the year. And if it became too hard to hide from her Father, she'd still have the opportunity to walk away from the job.

"Okay. What should I prepare?"

"I think two cakes would be fine for next Monday. You may chose whatever flavors you like. However," Kyoya sounded slightly amused, "Next Monday's theme is going to be Atlantis."

"Oh." Well, that was interesting. The wheels in Rini's head were already turning, trying to figure out what kind of cake would fit in with an underwater theme. By now, Yuki had lost interest in the conversation. He dragged the book off of Rini's lap and began to read it himself.

Rini asked Kyoya, "That sounds exciting! Uh, did you come up with the idea, Kyoya-sempai?"

"I'm afraid not. Tamaki was the one who made that decision."

Rini had the impression that Kyoya was inwardly smirking. "Okay, then. Thank you so much for this chance."

There was silence from Kyoya's end. A long, strange silence. For a moment, Rini wondered if he'd hung up, or if they'd been disconnected. Just as she opened her mouth to ask if he was still there, Kyoya said, barely above a whisper:

"_I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I cannot do more._"

He sounded like he was in pain. Discomfort. Rini was shocked. She'd never heard him speak with that kind of emotion before.

The line disconnected. She didn't even have the chance to ask him what he was apologizing for.

**Kyoya is changing. Sorry if the abruptness makes him seem out of character, but the idea I'm playing with is that Rini sort of brings him out of his normal character. That's what happens to a lot of people who fall in love, right?**

**Till next chapter,**

***~Suki~***


	12. Chapter 12: Complications

**....gah. What a crazy week. Well, I have here a mish-mashed end to episode four. I really need to sit down and watch the series again to renew my interest. and refresh my memory of how the characters actually talk, lol. Well, it's definetly not anywhere near my best, but I wanted to at least update something!**

**Here we go!**

Chapter Twelve: Episode Four, Part Three: Complications

"Wow, Tamaki! So you decided to hire a student to be the Host Club's caterer?" The girl stared at Tamaki with wide, engaging eyes. Tamaki smiled warmly.

"That's right, Princess. Miss Rini is on a one week trial to see if she enjoys working here or not."

"But why don't you just use a professional?" One of the other girls asked. There didn't seem to be any judgment or scorn in her voice – merely curiosity. As Rini approached with a fresh pot of tea for Tamaki's next round of clients, she heard Tamaki's answer.

"Well," he said, his voice light, "Because Miss Rini is much more talented that a professional."

He winked at Rini, and she had to grip the tray hard so that it didn't shake. Inside, she felt much more cheerful. Since the night before, she'd been nothing but nervous that her grand debut at the Host Club would be a complete disaster.

The girls swooned and one of them said, "Oh, Tamaki, you're such a perfect gentleman! You even give out comments to your servants!"

_Servant?_ Rini didn't know whether to laugh or feel offended. But the comment had been pretty innocent, and from what Rini could gather, it was these girls' money, not their brains, that had gotten them into Ouran Academy.

After they left, Rini went over to Tamaki with the fresh tea. He laughed and said in a relaxed voice, "And how are you today, Miss New Employee?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Rini was quick to say. And the truth of it was that, well, she was. Even though the Host Club was busy, it was relatively quiet and peaceful. And the members were all so polite-

"Hey, Rini! Get us some more snacks, will ya?"

Rini jumped. Hikaru had shouted at her from across the room, where he was sitting with Kaoru and two other girls. Rini hurried to obey.

"Um, okay, right away, uh, s-sir!" she said. She thought she might've heard the twins snickering.

Just as she was about to enter the back room, a light voice called out, "One moment, Ms. Rini."

Startled, Rini recognized that voice immediately. Kyoya. She hadn't forgotten what he'd said yesterday. What should she do? Should she bring it up? Should she pretend it had never happened?

As her thoughts spiraled wildly out of control, Kyoya walked up to her, smiling pleasantly. There was nothing different about his demeanor – nothing to suggest that anything had changed between them. Carrying his black notebook under his arm, he stopped in front of her and asked calmly, "Would you come with me for a moment? I have something for you."

If Rini had been in a manga, she supposed she would've had multiple question marks sprouting above her head. Kyoya had something – for her?

"Um, okay."

Kyoya nudged his glasses up his nose. "Right this way, if you please." He turned around and they walked together toward a vacant table, on which sat a large, white, rectangular box. Rini's curiosity was piqued.

Kyoya stopped at the table, and gestured to the box. "It's a token of our appreciation," Kyoya said. "The Host Club is grateful for your willingness to work with us."

"Oh, but I should be thanking you!" Rini was incredibly confused as to why Kyoya thought she deserved a gift. "If it wasn't for the Host Club – and you especially, for talking to the Chairman – I wouldn't be able to work at all and I wouldn't be able to help my family."

At the mention of Kyoya's discussion with Chairman Suoh, Kyoya pushed his glasses up again so that the light reflected off the glass blocked out his eyes. Rini wondered briefly if he'd done that on purpose, or if it was simply his preference that others not see what he was thinking through his eyes. Without diverting from his previous manner, Kyoya said lightly, "It is the least I can do. As an Ootori, in any case."

Rini smiled. "Thank you so much, Kyoya-senpai. It means so much to us." Then she turned her attention to the white box. "So, what is this, exactly?"

"Perhaps you should open it and find out."

"Oh," Rini said, hastily reaching for the top, "Right." She lifted open the lid. And gasped.

"Kyoya-senpai! I-I don't believe it! Wh-why did you-?"

"I only regret," Kyoya interrupted, his mouth quirking slightly, "that I didn't bring you one sooner."

"Kyoya-senpai!" She reached into the box and gazed reverently at the neatly folded, puffy yellow dress. "It's so beautiful! This is wonderful! My very own school uniform!" She held the dress by the shoulders and shook it out, beaming as she examined it.

"I am pleased that you like it." Kyoya bent down slightly at the waist and lowered his voice, saying, "But you know…you do look quite attractive in _that_ interesting ensemble. I did warn you about today's theme, didn't I?"

Rini's face turned bright red. "Oh, well…actually, I was…trying not to think about it," she mumbled, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Hmm." Kyoya was smiling. "Well, I may be incorrect in my observation, but I believe I am not the only Host who has taken notice."

Rini felt her stomach drop. No way. He couldn't be talking about – he couldn't mean –

"Indeed," Kyoya said, mirth in his voice, "I think you know exactly who I'm referring to. He's not exactly subtle. But…I should tell you, Ms. Rini-" Rini looked up, startled, and received quite a shock at how close Kyoya's face was to her's "-that I am quite used to competition, and if earning your friendship involves me apologizing for every single word my family has said to you, then I shall rise to the challenge with grace."

He straightened up. Rini was sure if she could move at all. "I meant what I said about that outfit," Kyoya added, opening up his black notebook again and turning away. "Oh, and I believe you were getting snacks for the twins, weren't you?"

"Oh! Right, I was!" Rini's face flushed and she hurried to the back room, closing the door behind her.

Leaning against the counter, Rini tried desperately to sort out in her mind what Kyoya had just said. He'd definitely been referring to Mori – the idea sent little shivers up her spine – and yet, he'd said also said that he himself would go to great lengths to earn her friendship.

_And he commented on this ridiculous outfit._ Rini cringed as she reached into the fridge and felt the cold air hit her bare skin. As Kyoya had forewarned her, the theme today was Atlantis, which meant that the Host Club was dressed in everything from scales and hair extensions, to shells and pearls and coral accessories. Tamaki was even wearing a crown and had a trident propped next to the couch.

In the changing room, Haruhi had been grumbling about her ensemble as she put it on. "Seriously," Haruhi groaned, examining the top, "How do you get this thing _on_? Where's the hole for the head?" Then she glanced over at Rini and her expression turned to pity. "Well, I guess you probably have it worse."

Rini was gazing at her outfit in horror. "I-I have to wear that? B-but it's a bikini top!"

"At least the skirt's long," Haruhi said, coming over to examine the outfit with her. She sighed. "Ah, well…the Host Club likes to go all out. C'mon, I'll help you get it on."

Now Rini was even more self conscious about it than ever. Had Mori really been looking at her? Did he…think she was…attractive?

The top was woven out of some white and green material and adorned with sea shells, while the skirt shimmered like scales and clung tight to her thighs while flaring out below her knees. Pearls hung around her neck – she wondered if they were actually real – and little gold earring fit into her ears.

Suddenly, Rini heard a noise from outside. It sounded like a kind of screech. Rini grabbed the finished tray for the twins and bolted for the door. She turned the knob, and just as she pushed it open-

"-AND WHAT RIGHT DID YOU HAVE TO HIRE SOMEONE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T CALL ME OR ANYTHING THIS CLUB HAS FALLEN INTO COMPLETE SHAMBLES WITHOUT ME CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT WITHOUT ME AROUND DO I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BABYSIT YOU LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DETRIMENTAL IT IS TO THE CLUB'S IMAGE TO HAVE A GIRL OPENING WORKING FOR YOU DO YOU KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK WHEN THEY SEE IT-"

"Please don't kill us!" Tamaki, the twins, and Honey were all cowering on the ground in a shivering heap, unable to stand up against the furious, looming shadow that towered over them. The girl clenched her fists, angrily shaking her head back and forth so that the oversized bow flopped from side to side.

"This is unacceptable! It's an outright disgrace!" As if she had eyes in the back of her head, the girl spun around and thrust an accusatory finger straight at Rini.

"You! You're the one these idiots hired! As manager of the Ouran High School Host Club, I, Renge Hoshakuji, demand that you leave this Club immediately!"

***sigh* drama drama drama. Reviews are much appreciated!**

**MLTA,**

***~Suki~***


	13. Chapter 13: Ugly Reality

**HOLY CRAP, I AM SO TIRED OF THIS STORY!!!! But alas, I have already embarked on the journey, so I am obligated to finish it! Besides, there are still grand, lovely parts to come! It's just taking forever to GET to them! In the meanwhile, I ask for your patience with this craptastic chapter that took me weeks to slog through! I will try to write it better next time! **

**I am so thankful for everyone who's reading this! If you've added this to your Story Alerts, please send me a review! As always, I'm happy to accept advice or tips for improvement as well as encouragement to keep going! Thanks, everyone!**

Chapter Thirteen: Episode Five, Part One: The Ugly Reality

Rini blinked. The girl's deliberate finger stabbed at her again like a knife, making her back up against the door nervously.

"Wh-what? Wh-who are-?"

"Didn't you hear me? I'm the manager of this Club!" Renge whirled around, her anger crackling like electricity. "Tamaki-senpai! What is the meaning of this? Why did you hire a girl without consulting me first?"

"R-Renge," Tamaki said, wringing his hands together unhappily, "Don't you think that maybe you're overreacting-?"

"AS IF I WOULD DO THAT!" Renge's retaliation sent Tamaki cowering back with a whimper. "You useless, self-absorbed, incompetent deuce! Clearly I can't trust you to make any kind of intelligent decision on your own!"

"HARUHI!" Tamaki catapulted himself into Haruhi's chest and throttled her with his embrace. "Haruhi, my dear child, run for your life! Save yourself, escape while you can!"

"Get off, Senpai!" Haruhi said, pushing him away unceremoniously. "Renge, what's going on? Why are you so upset that we hired a girl? I mean," she added, "I'm also a-"

"Don't say it!" Renge's venomous eyes cut to two clients who were still in the room, huddled against the wall in fear. In a momentous show of abrupt control, Renge took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then gave the girls a pleasant smile.

"The Host Club is closed for today, ladies," she said cheerfully. "The Club hopes you'll visit again soon!"

The girls didn't miss the hidden implication, nor were they fooled by her cheerful tone. Without speaking, they both bolted straight for the door, casting terrified glances over their shoulder and whispering to each other. As soon as the door shut, the smile melted off Renge's face and she once again resumed an ugly mask of rage.

"Of course you're also a girl, Haruhi, but the clients don't know that," Renge said, her voice unnaturally low due to her attempt to keep from screaming. "But she-" Renge jabbed her finger at Rini again, who flinched "-definitely looks like a girl, and a whorish, half-dressed one at that! Do you know what the clients are going to think?"

Renge didn't even bother waiting for an answer. Dramatically, she proclaimed, "They're going to think you're…you're all…_doing things_…with her after Club hours."

Tamaki's face went as white as a sheet. Haruhi and the twins both shouted, "WHAT?" Mori's eyes seemed to pop out of his head. Kyoya didn't react at all.

Honey was the only one who seemed confused. "Doing things? What-?"

Mori put a hand on Honey's shoulder, and silently shook his head.

Rini was completely horrified at Rini's suggestion. And the worst of it was, though Rini wouldn't be caught dead "doing things" with any of the Host members…she did harbor some secret feelings for a certain someone…

"But wait!" Haruhi stepped up, a fierce determination on her face. Rini thought she looked like a lawyer about to defend a case. "Renge, what about you? You look like a girl too, and everyone knows you work for the Host Club! How is that any different?"

Renge sighed. "Ah, Haruhi! I should've known you'd be the only one perceptive enough to bring it up! Besides you, of course, Kyoya," she added, flashing an obliging look toward the impassive Kyoya, "But you see, that girl and I are in completely different positions! It's a matter of power or submission!"

"Huh?" The twins were confused. "What are you talking about, Renge? Is that something dirty?"

"MORONS!"

The twins cowered in the corner where Tamaki had already taken refuge. Renge's eyes seemed to burn with rage.

"Of COURSE not! As the manager, I hold a position of authority over you and have the power to influence in the Club any way I want! Meanwhile, your hired slave over there is supposed to bow down to all of you, and do whatever YOU say! People are going to assume that something scandalous is going on! They're going to think that you're taking advantage of her behind closed doors! The reputation of the Host Club will be completely ruined! How could this have happened while I was in France for my Father's business tour? How could you have fallen so low as to hire a FEMALE STUDENT to do your serving and cooking? Are you TRYING to make the Host Club a complete failure? Do you WANT the entire operation that I've worked so hard to build up to completely sink to the bottom of the sea? What is WRONG with you people? YOU!" Renge's dagger pointed at Rini once again. "You have no business being here. This is MY Host Club, and I will not permit you to ruin their reputation with your wanton sexuality and your scheming feminine charms! If you don't leave in exactly the next minute, I'll make sure you regret the day you ever stepped into the Host Club!"

"Ms. Renge!" A sharp voice cut into Renge's rant like glass. Kyoya's lenses flashed dangerously. "That's-"

But he didn't get a chance to finish. Nor did Renge have the opportunity to continue her speech. Like a statue of malleable stone, Mori caught Renge's wrist and turned it away from Rini, and then placed himself between them as an impenetrable wall. Renge was too surprised at his actions to pull away.

"Mori-senpai?" she asked. The fire in her voice was gone – standing in front of Mori, she suddenly looked incredibly small. "Why did you-?"

"Ms. Rini is here because she has to be. Her brother is sick. He has a disease that has no cure, and Ms. Rini wants to work so that she can help support her family and her brother's hospital bills. That is why we offered her the job. That is why Kyoya changed the rules."

Kyoya shifted, looking a little disquieted for some reason. Renge stared up at Mori's impassive face, her eyes wide and engrossed in his words. The rest of the Club simply gaped – it had been a while since Mori had spoken for so long.

"Ms. Rini is a good cook, and taking care of her brother has allowed her to develop the skills needed to be a hostess. But more importantly her family needs help." Mori's dark eyes surveyed Renge with a kind of severity.

"The Host Club needs her too," he added. He finally let go of Renge's hand, and she let it drop limply to her side. He watched her carefully, as her thoughts flashed across her face one after the other. Nobody in the room moved, except for Renge, whose chest was starting to pulse up and down rather heavily, as if she were struggling to breathe.

After a long silence, Tamaki crept out of the corner and ventured tentatively, "Renge…are you…are you all right-?"

"BEAUTIFUL! THAT WAS SOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!"

The next moment, Rini experienced a wrenching discomfort in her stomach as Renge leaped at Mori and wrapped her arms around him, bawling as if she'd just heard about a family member's death.

Renge said shrilly through her tears, "THAT WAS THE MOST TOUCHING STORY I'VE EVER HEARD! OH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME EVERYONE! I HAD NO IDEA THE HOST CLUB WAS SO NOBLE, AND POSSESSED SUCH A HIGH MORAL CALIBER!"

Renge let go of Mori abruptly and raced around to Rini. "I'm so sorry!" she said shrilly, grabbing Rini's shoulders and shaking her fiercely. Rini grabbed onto Renge's arms to keep from falling over. "Please forgive me for ever misjudging you! I had no idea that poor people had such hardship and suffering!"

"Oh, give me a break," Haruhi mumbled. "Why does everyone around here have to call us 'poor' all the time?"

"I'll help you in any way I can!" Renge professed, her face inches away from Rini's. Rini wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified. "The whole school needs to know about this immediately!"

Rini felt her stomach drop sickeningly.

"I can see the announcement now: 'Humanitarian Hosts Hire Penniless Peer on Scholarship!' This is _just_ the scoop we'll need to spike our client numbers through the roof-!"

"No."

Mori's verdict slammed down on Renge like a hammer, abruptly silencing her once again. Renge whirled around, a look of confusion and slight desparation on her face.

"But why not? Everyone needs to know this story, it'll make the Club more popular than ever!"

"Ms. Rini-" Mori's eyes landed on Rini as he spoke "-and Ms. Rini's family, will not be exploited."

Another gaping silence followed this pronouncement. It had to be some kind of record for Mori. Rini's heart was racing, unable to look away from his eyes. Why couldn't she move? Why did he make her feel so…so…?

"But think about the potential!" Renge turned toward the rest of the Host Club, her voice pleading. "If everyone knew about Rini's situation, we could have a fundraiser and Rini could get the money her family needs in no time! It wouldn't be difficult, you'd be playing off the clients' sympathy and you'd be promoting the Club's image and-"

"Renge."

This time it was Kyoya who interrupted her. The room turned to him in confusion. Instead of his usual impassive façade, Kyoya's face betrayed more emotion than usual. He looked uncomfortable – perhaps even a little sick.

"The school would not allow us to organize such an event."

"But why not?" Renge demanded. "Kyoya, I thought at least you could see how this could benefit the Club!"

"I do," Kyoya said sharply. "But my family has enough influence over what happens at Ouran that they would make sure that…that…" Kyoya's voice actually faltered as he said, "…that Rini's family received no financial aid from outside resources."

"What?" Renge was having difficulty understanding. "Is your family somehow involved with Rini's brother's disease?"

"Yes. They are managing his case. Because -" And here Kyoya pushed his glasses up so that the light hid his eyes "- they want to make sure the Ootori Group receives credit for discovering the cure to Yuki's disease. If Rini's family were to have enough money, then they would have the ability to choose another company to take over Yuki's treatment. Perhaps one that would…treat him…differently. No," Kyoya contradicted, sounding almost angry at himself, "I do not mean differently, I mean kinder. Mr. Ikumi could find a team that cared as much for Yuki's mental well being as his physical condition. Very few medical groups have the finances to form the sort of agreement the Ootoris have with the Ikumis. With money collected from the students at Ouran, Yuki could be taken away. And then…" Kyoya's voice was so low now that the others could barely hear him, "…the Ootoris would lose their chance at making history."

Dead silence. Every single person seemed to have stopped breathing. Kyoya, the Shadow King, whose true emotions perhaps only surfaced in the more extreme situations, looked more upset than perhaps anyone had ever seen him. He looked upset. Unstable. Not in control of the situation.

Suddenly, Haruhi shot forward with a gasp. "Watch out, Rini!"

Kyoya's head snapped up, and Mori whirled around. With the tiniest sigh, as if the life in her had gently been expelled with a squeeze, Rini's body crumpled, and she slumped to the floor in a dead faint. As her body splayed out on the floor, her head rolled back, and unconscious tears fell down her cheeks.

**Till Next Time (whenever the heck that's going to be, lol, wish me luck on actually finishing this mammoth undertaking!),**

***~Suki~***


	14. Chapter 14: A Small Dilemma

**It's been a while! But at last, school is done for the year! Hopefully I will have more time to write now. This chapter is a little silly - I'm trying to incorporate more Ouran-style humor instead of it always just being all serious with Rini and everything. Sorry it took so long to update, but as you all know, living comes first, lol.**

Chapter Fourteen: Episode Five, Part Two: A Small Dilemma

Haruhi sighed, and stared at the unconscious girl as she turned restlessly on the spacious bed in the nurse's office. After Rini had fainted, the Host Club had rushed her downstairs to make sure that nothing was seriously wrong with her. The nurse had told them that she'd simply fainted from exhaustion and stress, and said that she was free to go once she'd gotten some rest.

As Rini opened her mouth slightly, Haruhi asked gently, "Hey, Rini. How are you feeling-"

"Y-Yuki!"

Rini sounded like she was half asleep. With her eyes only halfway open, she mumbled almost incoherently, "I have to…go home…Yuki…"

"Is he coming home today?" Haruhi asked. Rini's head nodded.

"Please…I have to…go home now…" Her eyes closed again. The twins glanced at each other, confused.

"Are you sure she's okay?" they demanded. Haruhi nodded.

"Yeah." She reached down and brushed a strand of hair off of Rini's face. "She just has too much to do lately."

"Do you think," Tamaki said unhappily, "that maybe we shouldn't have hired her after all?"

"We weren't _trying _to get her sick," Hikaru pointed out.

"Poor thing," Kaoru added. "She looks really tired."

Meanwhile, Honey was standing on his tiptoes to peer over the edge of the bed, his eyes wide and sad. "Poor Ri-chan," he said. His lower lip stuck out just slightly.

Renge, who was lurking in the back of the room behind the Host Club, took a step forward and blurted out desperately, "This is all my fault! If I hadn't accused her of having inappropriate relations-"

"It's not your fault, Renge." Kyoya was the only other person who had hung back. Haruhi had the distinct impression that he didn't think it was appropriate for him to show too much concern. Never mind the fact that he'd let his emotions show earlier that day. That outburst had shocked everyone, but Haruhi thought that Kyoya had regretted it more than anything else. Now he was determined to revert back to his normal self, and show as little feeling as possible in the current situation.

That was how Kyoya operated. Haruhi supposed that it came from Kyoya being so driven and intelligent. He liked others to think that he always knew what was happening, and that he had ways of obtaining information that was usually kept secret – which, in all honesty, he DID. That's what made his outburst all the more unsettling. Kyoya _didn't_ know what was going on. He didn't know how to deal with his family's relationship to Rini's. Haruhi might have even ventured to say that it was truly bothering him.

Tamaki made a whimpering noise in his throat. "What are we going to do?" he said pathetically, tugging on Haruhi's sleeve like a child. Haruhi heaved a sigh.

"I guess," she said, cutting an irritated glance toward Tamaki, "that we should take her home, like she asked."

"Good idea!" Hikaru said, flipping open his cell phone. "I'll call the limo!" But before he could dial, Kyoya had walked over and put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. Hikaru froze.

"K-Kyoya?" he stammered. He looked afraid that he was going to be slapped.

Kyoya smiled – but there was something off about it. "My apologies," he said, "But you do realize that one of the main reasons Ms. Rini has been experiencing an enormous amount of stress is because _her father doesn't know she's here?_"

Kyoya tilted his head slightly. His glasses flashed.

"………"

"BOSS, SAVE ME, HE'S GONNA KILL ME!"

Hikaru and Kaoru dove at Tamaki, who let out a very effeminate screech as the twins bowled him over in the attempt to get away from Kyoya. Even Haruhi's knees began to shake, and Renge and Honey both scooted behind Mori. It was strange – they could almost see an odd, purplish aura surrounding Kyoya's body, as if his suppressed emotions were somehow being conveyed into a physical apparition. Coupled with the way Kyoya's glasses made his eyes look white, and the fact that Kyoya was still smiling pleasantly, it had to be the most terrifying sight any of them had ever seen.

Clearly, he thought all of them were complete idiots.

Recovering slightly, Haruhi stood up from her defensive crouch on the other side of the bed and said, "There's also the fact that Yuki might be home already. He'd probably be really uncomfortable if all of us showed up at once."

The tension in the room dissipated. Tamaki gave a shaky laugh.

"You're right, Haruhi! In that case, I order YOU to take Ms. Rini home!"

"Say what?"

"That makes sense," the twins joined in, sidling up to Haruhi from either side. They put their arms around her shoulders. Haruhi glared at them in turn.

"What makes sense? What are you guys talking about?"

Hikaru and Kaoru sighed. "Haruhi, you're so dense," Hikaru said critically.

"Yeah, for being so smart, you sure miss the obvious sometimes," Kaoru added. Haruhi leaped out from underneath them, enraged.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Tamaki decided it was time to interfere on Haruhi's behalf.

"That's enough, you two! Haruhi is a wonderful, intelligent young lady, and just because she's too pure and innocent to understand your sick and twisted insinuations-"

"Go away, Senpai!" Haruhi demanded. "You're just making things worse!"

Tamaki wilted on the spot. "But-but Haruhi…"

"I'll take Rini home and everything," Haruhi said grumpily. "But I don't need you defending me, okay?"

"HARUHI, I'M SORRY!" Bursting into tears, Tamaki dove at Haruhi and grabbed her around the neck. "ALL I WANTED WAS TO PROTECT YOU LIKE A GOOD FATHER SHOULD! I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE YOU SO UPSET!"

"Ch-choking!" Haruhi gasped. She tugged uselessly at Tamaki's arms. "Can't – b-breathe!"

"C'mon, boss," the twins cajoled. "All we meant was that Rini's Dad might like Haruhi better than the rest of us because they're both commoners."

"Oh…" Now Haruhi understood what they were saying. "You know, you might be right." Then she paused. "But I can't carry Rini by myself. I'll need one other person to come with me."

She glanced around at the other members, studying her options. Definitely not the twins – they were tactless, and Haruhi couldn't trust them to behave properly in a situation like this. There'd be no point in taking Renge, since she wouldn't be able to carry Rini. Besides, Haruhi didn't know if she could handle being with Renge by herself in the car for that long. Certainly _not_ Tamaki – Haruhi sighed and grudgingly patted her sniffling Boss on the head.

"It's all right, Senpai," she said dully. "I understand that you were just trying to help. I'm not mad anymore."

"HARUHI!"

More choking. Tamaki was _definitely_ not coming.

Struggling to breathe, Haruhi's eyes slid over to Kyoya. Ha. That was out of the question. Though Mr. Ikumi seemed mistrustful of _all _rich people, bringing an Ootori to his house was the worst idea ever.

Which left...Mori and Honey. Both of them were standing next to Rini's bed. Mori was completely ignoring Tamaki's antics, instead choosing to stare down at Rini, rather unnaturally, since he didn't seem to be blinking. But Honey was bouncing on the balls of his feet, unable to keep still for very long.

Haruhi's stomach felt uneasy – Mori might be just the right person for the job, but she wasn't sure taking Honey was such a good idea. Honey might be cute in the Host Club, but to someone like Mr. Ikumi, who already thought that rich people were spoiled brats…Honey might only aggravate the situation.

Finally freeing herself from Tamaki's clutches – "Thank you, Haruhi! I LOVE YOU!" – Haruhi stumbled over to Mori. "Hey, Mori-senpai," Haruhi asked. "Will you come with me to take Rini home?"

Finally, Mori blinked. "…Yeah."

"I wanna go too, I wanna go take Ri-chan home!" Honey squealed, grabbing onto Haruhi's leg. Haruhi's mouth twitched.

"Listen…uh, Honey-senpai-" sometimes Haruhi still found it weird that he was older than her "-I think…I should just take…Mori-senpai with me."

Honey blinked. Then his eyes expanded to twice their normal size and filled with tears. "B-but I wanna go too!" he whimpered, beseeching her with his eyes.

Haruhi squirmed uncomfortably. "It's not that Rini wouldn't appreciate you coming," she said uneasily. "It's just that maybe for right now she needs someone who's a little – er – _calmer_."

Honey wasn't convinced. Tears began to leak out of his eyes. Though Haruhi was almost positive that they were fake, they still managed to tug at her chest. Darn it all, why did she have to be susceptible to Honey too?

"H-Haru-chan…" Honey sank to his knees dejectedly. "D-don't you _love_ me anymore?"

Something in Haruhi's insides died. "Please, Honey!" she begged, "It's nothing personal, I promise!"

Suddenly, just when Haruhi thought she was going to give in, a miracle happened. Honey felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked behind him, he saw that it was Mori.

"Mitskuni." Mori beseeched his friend gravely. As Haruhi watched, an unspoken communication happened silently between them. Haruhi couldn't begin to guess what Mori was trying to say. But after a few seconds, Honey's mouth opened wide with a gasp.

"Oh…" he breathed. Then suddenly, his face split into a grin, and his tears vanished. "I'll stay here with Tama-chan!" he proclaimed. Excited, he looked around the room for him. "Tama-chan! Where is-"

"He's over here," the twins drolled. They were sitting on the other side of the bed, looking bored. "He's doing something stupid again."

A small giggle of glee floated from the floor space on the other side of the bed. Haruhi was afraid to ask. Turning away, she instead chose to address Mori, who was standing next to the bed like a solider awaiting orders.

From the far corner of the room, Kyoya informed Haruhi calmly, "I called a limo from my estate – they're waiting outside the main entrance."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Haruhi said, "Thanks, Kyoya." Then she said to Mori, "Let's get going."

Mori nodded. Then he bent down – and a long way down it was, given his height – and gently slid his arms under Rini's body. He straightened. Rini looked even smaller and paler in his arms. And yet…

In her sleep, Rini gave a small moan and shifted, turning her head into Mori's chest. Mori stopped blinking again. Haruhi gave a sigh, and tried to disguise her smile.

"Ready, Mori-senpai?"

Mori nodded. He didn't take his eyes off of Rini. He was holding her as if she were a piece of glass. Haruhi turned back to the others.

"See you later, guys. We'll call you when we're done."

**Exciting things ahead! As in, in the next chapter! What in the world will happen when Haruhi and Mori - a tall, rich guy- show up at Mr. Ikumi's door? Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review! They are all so encouraging!**

***~Suki~***


	15. Chapter 15: Meeting Rini's Family

**Yay, finally I've managed to eek out another chapter! (it's a good sized one though). With my rigor renewed, I promise I WILL finish this story! All right then! So after Rini fainted and it was decided that Haruhi and Mori would take her home...**

Chapter Fifteen: Episode Five, Part Three: Meeting Rini's Family

Haruhi stepped out of the limo carefully, looking up at Rini's apartment. It was similar to her own, but perhaps for those of slightly lower income. She was certainly glad that Tamaki and the twins hadn't come – they would have made some kind of inappropriate remark about how poor Rini was.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the very idea. _Coming to Ouran, I expected to be competing academically with a lot of really intelligent people all the time. Instead I end up being the "daughter" of the most dense person I've ever met._

She turned back to the open limo door. "Can you lift her all right, Mori-senpai?"

Mori nodded. "Yeah." Slowly, he unfolded his large frame from the confines of the limo. Rini was cradled in his arms, still asleep. Her head resting in the crook of his arm, her fingers had curled into a ball in his shirt. Mori's hand guarded her head as he eased out of the car, and as he straightened up to his full height, Rini's legs swung limply.

She looked exhausted. Hauhui wondered how much sleep she got each night.

Haruhi cleared her throat. "Rini's Dad doesn't know she's been involved with the Host Club, does he?" she asked Mori.

Mori shook his head. Haruhi heaved a sigh.

"Great," she said, frowning as she tried to figure out how to explain to Rini's Dad why two "guys" were bringing his unconscious daughter home. "I guess I should just tell him we're her friends and hopefully he won't ask too many questions," she muttered. She started forward, turning to the right toward the apartment on the farthest left corner of the complex. Naturally, Kyoya had given them Rini's address. Mori followed behind steadily. In his arm, Rini looked like she weighed nothing.

Haruhi stood in front of the door a little nervously. She took a deep breath, and tried to gather her thoughts. It was already dark out, so Mr. Ikumi might be worried and not in the best mood. Reaching over, Haruhi pressed the doorbell.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The door opened slowly.

Mr. Ikumi was a rather average looking, forty-ish year old man. He didn't look much like Rini, but Haruhi remembered Rini saying that her mother had been Swedish. He was wearing dress pants that were a little too short, and a shirt that had a small stain near the collar. He looked like he'd been in the process of loosening his tie. He blinked, and looked at Haruhi with confusion.

"May I help you…?" he started politely. But then his eyes lit upon his daughter.

"Rini! What's wrong? What happened to her?" He stood a step forward, causing Haruhi to back up so that he wouldn't run into her.

"She's okay, sir," Haruhi hurried to reassure him. "She just fainted at school. I guess she's been a little tired lately."

"A little tired?" Mr. Ikumi repeated, looking flabbergasted. "I didn't realize she was staying up late…wait a minute…" he said, spying the school's name on Haruhi's uniform, "Are you two students from Ouran?"

"Yes, sir," Haruhi said. "We're friends with Rini, and she and I are in the same class together." As Haruhi spoke, she was a little surprised to see Mr. Ikumi's face slowly change for confusion to a sort of careful wariness. Like finding out they were from Ouran was a bad thing, but he didn't want to make his feelings too obvious. Haruhi wondered if maybe he was assuming they were both rich, and therefore, similar to the Ootoris. If he felt this way, Haruhi supposed she couldn't blame him. Haruhi had seen firsthand was Kyoya's father was like.

"Please, sir," Haruhi implored, wanting to do whatever she could to take that look off of Mr. Ikumi's face, "We just wanted to take her home and make sure she gets enough rest and feels better. Er…do you think we could lay her down on the couch?"

Mr. Ikumi regarded them for a moment later, especially focusing on Mori. Considering that he was the one actually carrying Rini, Mr. Ikumi seemed to like him the least. But in the interests of getting his daughter into the house, he stepped back, opened the door wider for them and said, "Very well then. I'll show you to her room."

With Mr. Ikumi leading the way, the three of them passed through the living room. The dining room was to the right, which Haruhi could see led into the kitchen, and the hallway was to the left, which was where Mr. Ikumi was taking them. The living room was neatly furnished, though the furniture all looked used. But it was tasteful, and Haruhi could only assume that Rini was in charge of the cleaning just as Haruhi was in her own house. A few paintings hung on the wall, but to Haruhi's slight surprise, there were absolutely no family pictures propped up on the coffee table or the lamp stand.

"Are you sure it was just exhaustion?" Mr. Ikumi asked, looking back at his daughter worriedly.

"That's what the nurse at school said," Haruhi said. "We're really sorry to be intruding like this, sir."

Mr. Ikumi gave a small sigh. "Well, if you're really Rini's friends, I suppose it can't be helped." He stopped at the door at the end of the hall, and twisted the knob open. "This is her room," he said, backing up so that Mori could take her inside. Once he went in, Haruhi followed after him.

Haruhi hadn't known what she expected Rini's room to look like, but a nun's quarters hadn't come to mind. It was perhaps the most sparsely furnished teenage room she had ever seen. There were no posters or pictures on the walls, which were painted a yellowish-white color. Her bed was covered with a pale blue comforter, but there were no toys or other blankets for decoration. A secondhand dresser stood against one wall, and a nightstand next to the bed held a lamp on which sat…

Haruhi's eyes widened. In a simple white frame propped up against the lamp, three pairs of brilliant blue eyes shone from the smiling faces of a family photograph. Mr. Ikumi was the only one with brown eyes – in fact, he was the only one who looked Japanese. Rini and Yuki looked much more similar to their mother.

Haruhi's heart gave a little twist. Mrs. Ikumi looked ill in the picture, but she was still smiling. Haruhi wondered how long she'd been sick when the picture was taken. Rini looked like she was around four…so only four years later, her mother had died.

Meanwhile, Mori lay Rini gently down on the bed, with Mr. Ikumi hovering behind him uneasily. "Be careful, please," he said unnecessarily. "She's very delicate. Oh, Rini, sweetheart," he said worriedly, moving in once Mori had backed away, "You need to take better care of yourself. Who's going to be the Mom around the house if you're tiring yourself out?" He kneeled down next to the bed, and ran his hand over her silky hair. Rini didn't so much as twitch.

Haruhi was at a loss for words. Mori stood silently next to her, his eyes honing in on the photograph. Haruhi cast another look around the room and felt another stab of pity for Rini – clearly she was used to doing without. Briefly, Haruhi considered asking Kyoya if buying and furnishing a house for them would violate any terms of the contract.

While Haruhi was lost in thought, she barely noticed the slight shuffling noise that started from out in the hall. Mr. Ikumi didn't take any notice either. Grasping his daughter's hand, Mr. Ikumi had continued speaking to her as if she were awake.

"It's okay, honey, Papa's here, you're going to feel better soon if you just get some rest-"

"Papa? Rini?"

Haruhi had never heard a voice sound so frail. But she knew right away that it must be Rini's brother. Immedietly she felt like she was taking up too much space in the small room, but since she could hear Yuki coming down the hall, there was no where else for her to go.

Mr. Ikumi's voice froze at the sound of his son's voice. He whirled around and stood up quite suddenly. "Yuki! What are you doing out of bed?" Haruhi and Mori both looked toward the doorway.

A twelve year old boy quietly shuffled into the room. Haruhi gasped – and regretted it an instant later. As soon as Yuki saw Haruhi and Mori standing at the foot of Rini's bed, he flinched like he was expecting some kind of attack. Haruhi felt sick to her stomach. Rini's story had just developed another element of misery to it, since Haruhi had now seen Yuki in the flesh.

He was far, far too thin, and his skin was so white Haruhi almost wondered if he'd ever stepped foot outside. She couldn't see much of his body because he was wrapped up in a blanket, but his face was enough to tell that he was the sickest person Haruhi had laid eyes on since her own mother. His eyes, blue like Rini's and his mother's, seemed too large for his head, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

But worse than any of that was the way he cowered and tried to sort of shield himself from Haruhi and Mori. His eyes filled with shame, and he pulled the blanket up higher around his neck. He seemed extremely embarrassed, which make Haruhi feel even more like she was intruding.

"Papa," he said imploringly to his Father. "What's going on? Is Rini okay?"

Mr. Ikumi put his hands on Yuki's shoulders and said, "She's just tired, Yuki. Her friends brought her home from school. But I want you to go back to bed now. We can't do anything besides let her sleep."

As he spoke, Haruhi was horrified to see Yuki's lip start to tremble. It bore no resemblence to Honey or Tamaki's crying – it was raw, and real. Haruhi wanted to try and comfort Yuki, but at the same time, she didn't want to interfere in a place she didn't really belong.

Yuki spoke hesitantly. "She's really okay?"

"Yes, Yuki." Mr. Ikumi met his son's eyes. "Don't worry. She isn't developing your disease."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now, go back to your room, please. If you stay on your feet too long you'll get tired too."

"But Papa," Yuki protested, his voice still so weak, "I want to stay with Rini until she's awake and I know she feels better."

"We can't do anything for her right now." Mr. Ikumi's voice had tightened, and he was beginning to show signs of stress. "Please, Yuki, just do what I ask."

"But-"

"We will take him."

Haruhi looked up, startled. Finally Mori had spoken, his deep voice shocking the entire room since up until this point, neither Mr. Ikumi nor Yuki had heard him speak. Yuki's eyes were wide as Frisbees. He stared up at Mori with something like fear and a little awe. Haruhi, her eyes darting back and forth between people, decided she should jump in and explain.

"You're Rini's brother Yuki, right?" Haruhi asked kindly, taking a step forward. "We can take you back to your room. Do you think maybe you could tell us about Rini? We're friends from her school, but she doesn't like to talk about herself very much."

To Haruhi's dismay, Yuki regarded her with the same look a deer might have in the light of oncoming traffic. Haruhi wondered why he was so afraid. Was it because he wasn't used to seeing anyone outside his family and the hospital, or was it because they wore the Ouran uniform and therefore must be rich?

Haruhi, trying her best to keep her smile, continued by saying, "It's okay. Your sister's going to be fine as long as she gets some rest. Maybe your Dad could order out tonight so that Rini doesn't have to cook. I make the meals and clean in my house too, so I know how tiring it can be sometimes."

Yuki looked surprised at this information. "Don't you have a maid?" he blurted out. But as soon as he spoke his eyes went wide. Clearly, he thought he'd been rude or made some kind of mistake, and by the way Mr. Ikumi's head snapped up he thought the same thing. Haruhi hurried to reassure him.

"Actually, I'm also a student on scholarship, just like Rini is. I live in a house a lot like this one, and it's just me and my Dad living there, so I do all the chores in the house and go to school while he works," Haruhi explained. Both Yuki and Mr. Ikumi looked shocked.

"So…you're not…rich?" Yuki asked incredulously. Haruhi shook her head. But then Mori shifted slightly beside her, and Haruhi remembered she had to try and make them understand Mori was all right as well.

"No, I'm not rich. Mori-senpai is, but he's not like the rich people you've met before," Haruhi said. "He's…well, he's…"

_Crap. What do I say about Mori senpai that will make them realize he's okay?_ From the limited amount Haruhi knew about Mori, none of it would be sufficient to convince Yuki and Mr. Ikumi that he wasn't like a rich bastard like the Ootori family. However, to Haruhi's surprise, Yuki's face changed when Haruhi mentioned Mori's name.

"You're Mori?" he asked suddenly, gazing up at Mori, who towered over everyone else in the room.

Mori nodded an affirmative. Mr. Ikumi regarded Yuki curiously.

"Yuki, has Rini told you about this person before?"

"Yeah, she has."

Haruhi couldn't believe it when Yuki smiled and said, in a slightly stronger voice than before, "Mori is Rini's friend, Papa. She told me about him, and she said that he's really nice, and strong too. Then," Yuki said, his eyes lighting up on Haruhi, "Are you Haruhi Fujioka?"

"How did you know that?" Haruhi asked in amazement. Yuki took a hesitant step closer, but he was starting to look much more comfortable since Rini had apparently talked about them before.

"She described you to me, and you look how I thought you might." He turned to clue his Father in on the situation. "Haruhi was the first person to welcome Rini to Ouran, Papa."

"Was he?" Mr. Ikumi said. He was starting to look better as well, especially after finding out Haruhi was on a closer economic level than any of the other kids at Ouran. "Well, I…I have to say I wasn't expecting this…but, wait...you're both boys…does that mean you're part of that _Host Club_ Rini told us about?"

_Crap. He already knows about the Host Club. Now what do we do?_ But before Haruhi could even open her mouth, Yuki piped up again.

"No, those were different guys, Papa. Haruhi and Mori are just her friends, and they've been studying with her after school to help her catch up since she's a semester late. Sometimes Mori and Haruhi's friends come too, but Rini told me Kyoya Ootori and the other people in the Host Club are really elite and don't talk to just anyone, so even though they offered her the job they stopped talking to her after she turned it down. The last call she got from them was when she was with me in the hospital."

_Whoa. Where did all that came from?!_ At first glance, Yuki didn't look like he could lie so well. But the story had come out sounding completely natural.

Mr. Ikumi couldn't have looked more relieved. "Thank goodness," he said, laughing a little and rubbing the back of his head. "I was afraid that she'd somehow gotten involved with that Host Club and was seeing that damn Ootori kid on a daily basis. The less the world has of that family, the better."

"Mr. Ikumi," Haruhi said quickly, eager to steer the topic out of dangerous waters, "Would it be all right with you if Mori and I stayed and I cooked dinner for your family tonight? I'm sure it would be better for Rini if she didn't have to worry about it."

Mr. Ikumi and Yuki seemed to like that idea. "We would appreciate it very much," Mr. Ikumi said gratefully, gazing at his still unconscious daughter.

"I'll take you to the kitchen," Yuki volunteered, beckoning them with a hand that had emerged from within the blanket. Haruhi was caught off guard by how bony it looked. But she knew she just had to ignore it and treat Yuki normally.

"Thanks, Yuki," Haruhi said. She and the silent Mori followed Yuki back down the hall. Haruhi was careful not to step on the hem of his blanket. She wasn't sure he'd survive if he so much as fell over. His bone structure looked far too weak.

And it seemed that his respitory system wasn't very good either. Just as they emerged into the living room, Haruhi heard Yuki's was having difficulty breathing. He paused in front of the couch, taking a couple deep breaths but trying not to be too obvious about it.

Haruhi glanced back at Mori. Mori was watching Yuki, his iron colored eyes soft despite the lack of expression on the rest of his face. Suddenly, he stepped around Haruhi and approached Yuki, gently putting one of his large hands on Yuki's shoulder. Startled, Yuki looked up.

"You should sit down," Mori informed him. Yuki blinked, holding the blanket loosely around his body.

"O-okay," he said. He didn't even try to protest. Mori might have been the tallest, strongest-looking person Yuki had ever met in person, and Haruhi had the odd impression that he was someone Yuki already admired, even before he'd met him.

As Yuki sat on the couch, Mori's eyes slowly roved around the room. Under the lamp stand next to a small armchair in the corner of the room, Mori apparently saw what he was looking for and walked over. He kneeled down, and to Haruhi's shock, picked up the book that was sitting on the bottom shelf. He walked back to Yuki, stopped directly in front of him, and held up the book for inspection.

"Would it be all right if I read this to you?"

Yuki gaped. Haruhi's mouth fell open.

"Y-yeah," Yuki finally managed. "I would really like that. I haven't read that book in a long time."

Mori took the liberty of sitting on the couch next to Yuki. With his tall frame, pressed blue blazer and spiky black hair, Haruhi thought he looked ridiculously out of place. But then he opened the book, stuck his face in it, and began to read in a deep, soothing voice.

"This morning I saw her in my dreams again. Glowing with the ethereal aura that surrounds the ones who are dead, I heard her call my name, and what had once been my world was plunged into darkness. For drowning in the mystery of her will, I was powerless, and in the small spaces of time, even then, I felt her presence growing…"

Haruhi left to prepare dinner in the kitchen. Rooting through the drawers, she found the refrigerator well stocked and full of plenty of the ingredients needed to make curry. She filled up the rice cooker, and then set about to chopping up the vegetables and meat, all the while listening to Mori's voice. She felt quite at ease, being familiar with the kitchen, but she hoped that Rini would be all right and wouldn't come bursting into the kitchen as soon as she woke up so that she could finish the work Haruhi had started.

But Rini still hadn't woken up twenty minutes later, when Haruhi tasted the curry and concluded that dinner was ready. Wiping the moisture from her forehead, she quickly dried her hands on a towel, turned off the stove, and went to inform Mori and Mr. Ikumi that dinner was ready. But when she entered the living room, she paused, her eyes alighting on the couch.

Mori was still reading, but Yuki's head was resting in Mori's lap, his arms and legs tucked in. Mori had his arm on Yuki's back, and slowly, with careful deliberation, he was rubbing Yuki's back, his hand reminding Haruhi of a tide drifting forward and back. Haruhi felt a warmth in her chest.

This was a side of Mori that, on occasion, Haruhi would see when Honey was upset – this caring, gracious side. Even though Yuki was the one curled up on Mori's lap like a puppy, Haruhi couldn't help but compare Mori to a gentle, loving canine companion. He gave a comforting presence, and it was enough to set both Honey and Yuki at ease. Despite the fact that Mori was rich, Yuki was already completely willing to trust him. Though come to think of it, Haruhi distinctly remembered Yuki knowing about her and Mori as soon as she gave away his name. Rini must've confided in her little brother about the Host Club.

Absently, Haruhi wondered, given the way Mr. Ikumi and Yuki regarded the Ootoris, why Rini been able to forgive Kyoya so easily. Or rather, why she had wanted to believe that he was a good person so much.

Perhaps it was that, as Mori was simply born with the instinct to serve, Rini was born with the instinct to always give someone a second chance. Even if that person believed it was a gift they didn't deserve.

**BTW, I reread the story and I realize that there are a LOT of inconsistencies with time and age. I'm sorry. I wish I could fix this, but it's already so screwed up that I'd request that we all just ignore these glaring errors. I just wanted to let you all know that I was aware of them. Please review! I would really really REALLY appreciate it! (and possibly it will motivate me to write a little faster this time around!)**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


	16. Chapter 16: Doorstep Surprise

**This is a short chapter - sorry! But it was turning into a really really long chapter so I had to split it in half.**

** One of my lovely reviewers pointed out to me that Renge isn't supposed to know that Haruhi is a girl! My apologies! It's been a while since I've watched the actual series, I guess. I'm not going to go back and fix it though, because this story already has so many other little issues that it would just be a pain in the neck. I just wanted to let you all know that I knew about the mistake.**

** Well, here's to the next chapter! Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Sixteen: Episode Six, Part One: The Doorstep Surprise

Winter had officially arrived. The air was much chillier than Rini's first day at Ouran Academy. It seemed like that had happened ages ago – she remembered standing nervously in front of the main entrance, holding her worn but nicest jacket, and trying to encourage herself not to be afraid of entering the school that had so graciously given her a chance at a high-end education.

Now it was a month later – after a quick recovery and a successful week long trial as the Host Club's caterer, she had finally accepted the job, and now she was working every day the Host Club was open. This meant she usually baked something every night, while her Father slept like a log in his room down the hall.

In all honesty, Rini did feel horribly guilty for lying to her Father, but it wasn't enough for her to leave the Host Club. She could only imagine the look on his face if he found out that she was working for Kyoya Ootori – or worse, that he had become her friend, along with a whole slew of other rich people. Rini cringed every time she thought of what might happen if her Father ever met the rest of the Host Club. Though he already approved of Haruhi and Mori, Rini was sure he wouldn't like the twins, and he might think that Tamaki's level of intelligence had to do with the face that being rich meant you didn't necessarily have to be smart. Honey might be the only one who stood a chance…but then again, Honey was a bit spoiled. Her Father might not find it endearing that one boy could realistically eat three cakes by himself. Regardless, Rini thought he was quite adorable, and enjoyed taking up the task of caring for him alongside Mori.

Recently, Honey had been expressing an interest in meeting Yuki, since Mori had apparently reported to him that his and Haruhi's visit to Rini's house had gone well. Though Rini hated the idea that she'd put Haruhi and Mori through such an inconvenience, by the time she'd woken up that evening, her Father, Yuki, Haruhi, and Mori were all seated at the table and enjoying a pleasant conversation. She'd joined them, apologizing profusely for all the trouble, but Yuki and her Father had looked so happy and refreshed that after a while, she found herself glad that the entire ordeal had happened.

"Your brother's really sweet," Haruhi had said as she and Rini washed up the dishes. Mr. Ikumi, Yuki, and Mori were still sitting at the table, and while Yuki questioned Mori about everything from being rich to Ouran to where he bought his shoes, Mori weathered the inquires patiently and Mr. Ikumi sat back and sipped his tea, watching his son contentedly. Rini couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her Father so relaxed.

She handed a plate to Haruhi for her to rinse. "Yes, he is. And I'm sure if he went to school the work wouldn't be too hard for him, but…well, I guess you can see…"

Haruhi's eyebrows creased sympathetically. "He does look pretty sick," Haruhi said. "And earlier when we were in your room, he looked like was trying to hide from us so we wouldn't have to see him."

"Well…yes…" Rini dipped her hands into the soapsuds. It felt strange saying these kinds of things out loud. She never had a close friend to talk to about Yuki before. "He thinks that he looks awful – because of his weight and his skin and everything. That's why he avoids going outside. He hasn't been anywhere public in years."

Haruhi nodded soberly. "I see." She picked up a towel and started drying the dishes. "You know…for him being as nice as he is, I didn't expect him to be able to lie so well. He completely covered for Mori-senpai and I when your Dad asked about the Host Club."

Rini smiled, though there really wasn't anything about the subject that was funny. "Yes, well…I guess he gets used to lying about whether he feels okay, so now it comes pretty easily to him."

After another half hour of Haruhi and Mori's company, Mr. Ikumi regretfully informed them that it was time for Yuki to go to bed. As Haruhi and Mori walked back out to the limo – Yuki stood up on his tip toes to see from inside the doorway – Rini's Father turned to her and said quietly, "Those are nice friends you've got there, Rini. I guess maybe there's at least one nice, rich person in every thousand or so."

"Oh, well – I guess," Rini said uneasily.

"Yuki really took a liking to that Morinozuka kid."

"I'm so glad!" Rini breathed, closing the door and turning to Yuki. He was already changed in his pajamas and Rini knew that since he was going back to the hospital soon, he would want her to read a story to him. Yet, even as she sat on Yuki's bed, she couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful the evening had been…and how grateful she was to her friends.

Nor could she also forget the fact that Mori had actually carried her in his arms, and she hadn't been awake to experience it. She was desperate to know how that arrangement had come to pass, but she hadn't asked about it for fear of sounding too interested.

Now, walking home from the subway, Rini found herself once again indulging herself in thoughts of Mori, and how things had steadily been getting more comfortable between them over the past few weeks. She found herself able to talk to him without stuttering quite so much, and knowing that his expressionless face was normal helped her realize his behavior toward her wasn't exclusive. He stared at everyone like that…like a statue…sometimes going for an entire minute without blinking…or so much as twitching…didn't he?

_Get a grip, Rini! What have I already told you about wishing for a knight?_ Rini scolded herself for what seemed like the millionth time this year. _You haven't even asked if Mori is _him_ yet! Every time you get the chance you chicken out. That's not exactly strength you've been showing lately, is it? _

She touched her necklace. She wanted to ask him, and had sort of been trying to, but the timing had never seemed quite right. Besides that, she was terrified that if she was wrong, she'd have to give up her little fantasy that, if he was the boy, and it really had been him who gave her the necklace and said those things…then he was the one she was meant to be with. The only boy she'd ever loved.

She definitely considered what she felt toward the boy love. She'd never even liked anyone else after meeting him. She'd never had crushes on boys at school, and in fact, she'd been so detached from the whole school experience and so focused on her family, no one had ever shown her any interest, or done anything that could be interpreted as such.

Lost in her thoughts, it came as a surprise when she found herself already approaching her front door. Even more surprising was what was waiting for her on the front step. Rini stopped, and then bent down to examine it.

It was a white box, with her name printed on the front. Her eyes darted to the return address, but it was from a company with a foreign name that she didn't recognize. Burning with curiosity, Rini picked up the box, unlocked the front door, and took it inside.

She set it on the table, and after taking her school bag to her room, she came back and got the scissors from the drawer of office supplies. Careful not to injure the box, she sliced through the tape securing the top of the box to the bottom, and then, setting the scissors down, lifted the top to see what was inside.

She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Beneath a neatly folded piece of paper, there lay in plastic casing the most wonderful assortment of brand new, gleaming cake decorating supplies Rini had ever seen. A silver Sugarcraft gun with sixteen different disks lay next to a box full of at least thirty icing tips, as well as a collection of silicone molds, five different sheets of cake prints, extra durable pastry bags, a new icing smoother, five textured imprinting sheets, concentrated gel food coloring, two containers of edible glitter, and best of all, four tiny cupcake sized-pans crafted in the shape of roses.

Her hand shot out and grabbed the piece of paper on top, and unfolded it hastily. She was desperate for some kind of clue. Who in the world had done such as amazing this for her?

As soon as she saw the name, her entire mind froze. She thought she had made a mistake. Or that maybe sometime between the end of school and walking home she'd forgotten how to read. It just couldn't be right.

_Should you have any concerns regarding the quality of these products, I will have them returned and replace them with the company of your choosing._

_Regards,_

_Kyoya Ootori _

_I…I must be…dreaming_, Rini thought wildly, impulsively pinching her arm and then wincing. She read the note a second time, and then a third. No, that was certainly his name. Rini felt lucky that nothing unusual had happened today to make her late, otherwise her Father might've found it and discovered what Rini was really doing after school. Or worse, he might've found out that Kyoya was friendly enough with Rini to send her gifts.

Because the more Rini thought about it…the more she started to believe…that in the time that she'd started working for the Host Club, Kyoya had started to behaving a bit differently. But the things he did were so small, and Rini spent so much time convincing herself not to overanalyze them, that she hadn't bothered to put them all together and debate about whether it all meant something significant.

On that first day of catering, Kyoya had given Rini her own school uniform, and then complimented her on the Atlantis costume she was wearing. Rini had assumed that he was just being polite and gracious, as his typical Hosting demeanor dictated he should. But then at the end of her week-long trial, he also replaced her school bag that she'd had since middle school with a beautiful white flowered bag that blended in better with what most of the other girls at Ouran had. Rini had been ecstatic, but she'd managed to convince herself that for Kyoya Ootori, buying someone a purse was a triviality, and that the gesture meant nothing more to him than a welcoming present to celebrate Rini finally being able to work for the Host Club.

But then, a few days later, she'd run into him just as he was finishing up a call outside the Third Music Room, and after mutually greeting each other and deciding to go in, Kyoya opened the door for her and then – Rini's stomach flipped strangely at the memory – with the lightest, most elegant touch of his fingers, he brushed the small of her back as he ushered her inside. Rini remembered that moment quite vividly, though at the time she'd told herself that it must've been an accident, or if it wasn't then it was, once again, simply his Hosting behavior. From watching him interact with the ladies, Rini could clearly see Kyoya's "cool type" persona, which included a lot of high brow flattery, perfect poise, a calm demeanor, and a pleasant, engaging smile. Rini had forced herself not to think about it again, since the Host Club had been busy that day and Honey had already started asking for more cake.

And besides, if Rini really stopped to think about it, besides these odd little things, nothing else about Kyoya had changed. He still spent most of his time writing in that mysterious black notebook of his, or else typing on his laptop at the speed of light. And his behavior toward the other members of the Host Club hadn't changed either.

Rini was sure of it. Just that past Tuesday, Rini, Haruhi and the twins had just gotten out of their classroom to go eat lunch, and on the way they'd run into Tamaki and Kyoya. The twins, deciding this would be the perfect opportunity to make Tamaki mad, abruptly interrupted Rini and Haruhi's conversation about school assignments to loudly inform Haruhi that they wanted her to come over to their house to model some of their mother's designs.

"You want me to what?" Haruhi asked suspiciously. She shook her head. "I don't think so, guys. I've had more than enough of my share of being forced to wear ridiculous clothing as it is, thanks."

"But Haruhi, we wanna see you in a dress again!" the twins whined. Out of the corner of her eye, Rini spied Tamaki, who had indeed heard what the twins were saying and looked as angry as a bull trapped in a pen. Kyoya was busy writing in his book, not paying anyone else the slightest attention.

"See, our Mom just designed this whole new line of formal wear-" Hikaru said.

"-and we want you to try it on!" Kaoru added.

"It's called 'Dare to Bare'!" they announced. " '_Because showing a little skin is always in!' _"

"YOU PERVERTED TWINS! IF YOU SO MUCH AS LAY A FINGER ON MY HARUHI, I SWEAR IT'LL BE THE LAST TIME YOU EVER MOVE AGAIN!"

Chaos ensued. As far as Rini could remember, Tamaki had chased the twins through the entire cafeteria, with the twins sticking their tongues out at him and egging him on the whole way. Finally, they had retreated behind Haruhi – "Guys, can you not lean over me when I'm trying to eat?" Haruhi demanded irritably, as she and Rini had already taken their seats – and Tamaki had finally turned to his last resource.

"MOOOOOMMMMMYYYY! MOMMY, THOSE SHADY TWINS ARE PURSUING HARUHI AGAIN!!!"

"…and what would you like me to do about it….Daddy?" Kyoya asked, smiling pleasantly as he ate his miso soup. Tamaki whimpered and wriggled on the seat beside him. Rini thought he looked like he had to use the bathroom.

"I want you to make them stop!" Tamaki demanded, jutting his finger out angrily toward the twins, who were peering out from behind Haruhi's head and grinning devilishly. It seemed they never tired of making Tamaki upset over Haruhi, or anything else for that matter.

"The beef fillet is excellent today," Kyoya remarked casually, ignoring the whimpers coming from Tamaki. He picked up a section with his chopsticks and informed him, "You should try it. I'm sure you'd find it quite palatable."

Tamaki blinked. "Oh. Do you think so?"

"I do, indeed."

Tamaki changed moods so quickly Rini thought he might have bipolar disorder. He leaped to his feet. "I'm going to get my lunch!" he announced to the group in general, and with that he skipped off to get his tray, leaving the twins snickering, Haruhi rolling her eyes, Kyoya eating and simultaneously reading, and Rini wondering if perhaps Tamaki needed to visit Yuki's hospital to have his brain tested for abnormalities.

Rini shook her head. The point was, Kyoya was still the same around everyone else. So she _had_ to be imaging that he was giving her some kind of special attention. Because…there was just no _way_…no possible _chance_…that he might…that maybe he…_liked her_. That was the one thing Rini refused to believe.

_I mean, he's Kyoya Ootori_. _His family basically owns my little brother, he's rich, he has good taste, he's really smart and good with business, and if he were to like anyone, it would be someone who was at least all that and probably more. You're just flattering yourself, Rini. Try being realistic for once._

But despite what she believed, the gift sitting on her table was extravagant, and she hadn't told anyone about the tools she already had, or if she was lacking any. She had never expressed an interest in a certain company, nor had she ever explained in thorough detail how she went about decorating her cakes. Yet here was a wonderful array of new tools, which meant that Rini could design her cakes even more beautifully that before. She had to admit, despite her uncertainties about Kyoya, she greatly appreciated his gift, and resolved to thank him the first chance she got.

In the meanwhile…Rini decided to keep the tools in her room just to be safe, but then she went right to work mapping out a design for the cake on paper. Tamaki had said that the next day's theme was going to be Rock Stars – "Since _every_ lady wants to meet a celebrity!" Tamaki gushed, excited by his own idea – so the cake was definitely going to need something…a little more strong. Something a little more hard-hitting that Rini's standard of smooth frosting and intricate, detailed flowers.

"Oh, I know!" she exclaimed. And that was how she happily immersed herself until it was time for her to get started on dinner.

**So...who in the world is Rini's true love? Will it be Mori, or Kyoya? We can only guess! (well, you can guess, I already know the answer).**

**Till Next Chapter,**

***~Suki~***

**PS: Please review! I know there's some of you who have Alerted or Favorited this story that I haven't heard from! I'd love to hear your impressions!**


	17. Chapter 17: The Ouran Superstars

**Alright, a timely update! Hooray! Before we begin, I'd like to post an ad for a story that I am totally in love with: if you're familiar with Ouran and Fruits Basket, then you'll really enjoy "Basket Case". It's in the crossover section, and the authoress does it so well that I end up getting confused about which characters belong to which series! It's amazing!**

** There's also a really funny Ouran fanfic that details all the Mary Sues out there that could possibly enter into the Host Club. It's so FUNNY! Of course my dear Rini is combination of about five of the Sues, and of course having a sick brother and a dead mother is horribly cliche....sigh....but I don't write fan fiction for quality, I write it for my own amusement. You should see me trying to write my ORIGNINAL work - it's like trying to give birth! It has to be perfect!**

** Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter Seventeen: Episode Six, Part Two: The Ouran Superstars

"Oh wow!"

"So amazing!"

"And the Hosts look so dark and dangerous today too!"

The Host Club was filled with excitable chatters, and more than a few feminine squeals. Rini saw two girls clutching each other so that they wouldn't fall over from the sensory overload. Rini had to admit, the Club had gone above and beyond this time, and if she hadn't known the Hosts to be her fellow students, she might've thought that actual rock and roll celebrities had come to visit Ouran.

The Third Music room was decked out like a small, upscale, intimate café. Very soft, slow rock music sung by an American band played in the background, and the usual furniture had been switched out for black and white checkered tables and comfy plush leather booths, with deep purple carpeting covering the floor. A stage had been erected, complete with two microphones, an electric guitar, a bass, keyboards, and a drum set. It was quite the scene, but it was the Hosts themselves that really completed the entire picture.

"Come on in, ladies," the twins said enticingly, each extending a hand to their guests. With their orange hair spiked and fake piercing lining their ears, the girls couldn't help but swoon as they were lead over to their seats. Tamaki swooped down in their place.

"It seems I'm in need of some inspiration," he said in a low, sensual voice, pulling one of the girls to him gently by the waist. "What shall I sing to you about, my darling? Your soulful eyes? Your warm smile? Your tender embrace?"

"Oh, Tamaki…" she sighed, and she let him guide her away. Haruhi smiled as she approached her clients.

"It's going to be a great show today, ladies," she promised sincerely, while the girls exclaimed over her outfit.

"Wow, Haruhi!"

"You look just like a rock star!"

"So cool and edgy!"

"Thanks," she said, guiding them in the direction of an empty table. "You're going to love the refreshments today too. Rini's outdone herself." She smiled at Rini as she passed. Rini smiled back a little nervously. She had revealed her masterpiece to Haruhi and the twins earlier, and they had all been extremely impressed with her handiwork. Even the twins had responded well, and from the way the twins spoke about their high standards of things, Rini could deduce it took a lot to please them.

Watching the proceedings from the side, Rini felt that today her senses were even more on the alert than usual. Not only was she anxiously waiting for Mori to show up, but now she had to keep an eye out for Kyoya too. Seeing Mori was always something Rini looked forward to, and today she could safely say that she was in as much danger of swooning as any of the customers.

Suddenly, Honey's voice rang out from somewhere on the left side of the room. "Hiiii, ladies!"

"Oh, wow!"

"Honey-senpai, you look so cool!"

The dim light fell on Honey as he and Mori emerged from the shadows. Rini had to cover her mouth to hide her expression of awe. The customers squealed happily.

"Oh, wow!"

"Mori-senpai looks so muscular and strong!"

"I wonder if he'll play something for me?" one of them said dreamily. Rini feverishly prayed for the same thing.

Mori was dressed in a cut-off sleeve black T-shirt that looked like it was splattered with blue, white, and silver paint, and his jeans had deliberate rips and square patches of black, purple, and blue plaid cloth sewn on haphazardly. His black hair – dyed with temporary blue streaks - was spiked so sharp it looked almost lethal, and his jewelry consisted of heavy silver rings on his fingers, a couple of thick chains, and a silver stud in one ear. With a little eyeliner smudged under his eyes, just the mere sight of him made Rini go weak in the knees, and she was forced to place her hand against the wall behind her for support.

"Ri-chan!"

Honey waved her over, standing out more than usual with his freshly dyed bright pink hair. It was a little shocking, but Honey would never have been able to pull off the dark, intimidating look for long, so Tamaki had designated that he be dressed in a white and silver T-shirt, black jeans, and American Converse sneakers. Honey pulled the look off spectacularly, and as Rini hurried over to answer Honey's call she saw the girls giggling over how adorable he was.

Honey beamed at her as she approached. "Wooooowwwww, you look really cool, Ri-chan! You look like you're the lead singer in a girl's band!"

Rini tried not cringe, for in fact she was doing her best to completely forget about she was wearing today. She smiled at Honey. "Are you ready to have some of today's refreshments, Honey-senpai?" she asked sweetly. Honey jumped to his feet.

"Yay! Let's all eat cake!" he cheered. As he jumped up and down happily, Rini's eyes gravitated toward Mori of their own accord. But by complete accident, Rini realized too late that Mori was already watching her, and she had to pretend she was looking past him at the twins so that he didn't think she was goggling at him.

_He's looking at me again…I don't think he's blinking…it's normal…it's perfectly normal…isn't it?_

Well, maybe he was just goggling the outfit. Rini wouldn't be surprised.

She had looked nothing short of horrified a half hour earlier when she and Haruhi had gone into the back room to change. "I can't wear this!" she cried. Haruhi was examining her own clothes with distaste.

"We're supposed to be rock stars?" Haruhi asked cynically. She held the shirt up in front of her chest. But upon looking at it in the mirror, she seemed to reconsider. "Well…I guess it's not the worst Senpai's ever come up with," she admitted grudgingly. Then she looked over at Rini's ensemble.

"Are you kidding me? That skirt's nothing but a bunch of black rags sewn together!"

"I know!" Rini moaned. "But if I don't wear it, I won't fit in with the rest of you!" She picked up a pair of patterned stockings. "Well, maybe if it stays dark, it'll be okay," she reasoned, trying to convince herself. But that didn't stop her, once she was fully dressed, from trying her hardest to pull the skirt down without exposing her midriff.

After adding some heavy makeup and streaking her hair with bright turquoise hair dye (Rini prayed it would wash out with one rinse as the bottle promised), Rini supposed she looked the part of a pop singer, but that didn't make the ensemble any more comfortable. She was ridiculously nervous that people could see too much when she turned around, especially with the way the skirt had a tendency to sway as she walked. But there was nothing she could do about it. She just had to pray that her nerves wouldn't act up and make her drop anything so she wouldn't have to bend over.

But Honey's mention of the cake temporarily put the outfit out of Rini's mind as she scampered back into the kitchen. Tamaki had dictated that Rini wheel the cake out to the center of the room and serve the guests from there. Rini also added a coffee service and stocked cups on the bottom shelves of the cart. Taking a deep breath – and giving her cake the final once-over – Rini pushed the cart slowly through the door she'd already propped open. The girls took notice of the cart, and that's when they saw the cake.

"Oh, wow!"

"So amazing!"

"How did you do that with the decorations, Ri-chan?"

Rini smiled. The ladies now referred to her with that endearing nickname, though usually only during club hours. Rini didn't mind, and their usage of it clearly meant that Renge's fears had not been realized – the girls didn't find Rini a threat, nor did they think she had any kind of involvement with the Hosts other than work and friendship.

Tamaki let out an excited gasp. "Why, Ms. Rini!" he exclaimed. "That is truly the most unique and exquisitely sculpted cake you have made yet!"

Rini bowed her head modestly. "Thank you, Tamaki-senpai," she said graciously. It was a wonderful feeling to know that her work last night had paid off.

The square, four-tiered cake was coated in pure black fondant, and with the help of Kyoya's present Rini had managed to create a multitude of thin, shoestring-sized arches of malleable sugar frosting in electrifying shades of yellow, red, and blue. The arches stood up on end, spraying out from the cake so it created movement and looked like the cake was wrapped up in an explosion of energy. It had taken two hours just to decorate, but it had been immensely satisfying, and it was even more worth it now that everyone was seeing it and it was a success.

Honey looked the happiest of all. "WOW, WHAT A GREAT CAKE!" he shouted with glee, abandoning his guests and running over to Rini at an alarming speed. He stopped beside her as she centered the cart in the middle of the room, and then reached up and tugged restlessly on the hem of her shirt.

"Just a second, Honey-senpai. I'm almost ready," Rini said cheerfully, reaching for a plate. Honey bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, looking excited enough to burst. Just as Rini took up the knife, she suddenly felt a shiver run up her back, and she sensed a presence behind her.

"…It seems Haruhi's previous assessment was correct. You have outdone yourself today, Ms. Rini."

Rini whirled around. Her eyes nearly shot out of her head. There stood Kyoya, notebook in hand, seeming to have materialized out of the shadows. She had been on guard and waiting for him the entire time, and just when she'd finally forgotten about him, he'd suddenly appeared like a phantom and, even worse…

He looked heart-breakingly, gut-wrenchingly, unbelievably sexy. If Rini hadn't grabbed onto the cart to steady herself, her knees would've given out and she'd have fainted all over again. What was happening to her? Why was Kyoya having this effect on her? What in the world was going on?

Deep purples and reds were the colors that suited Kyoya best, and with a black, high-collared shirt with red designs, black skinny jeans, a studded belt, and a subtle purple sheen to his hair, he looked like he could pick up an electric guitar and feel right at home. He gave Rini his trademark smile – the mysterious one, which in turn made all of Kyoya's fans swoon and squeal happily.

"Ri-chan! Ri-chan!"

"Oh! Sorry, Honey-senpai!" Quickly, she turned back around and picked up the knife again. Slicing into the cake, she was careful to work the knife between the arches so that each piece had a few arches intact and standing upright. While she cut, she heard the sounds of pleasant conversation and, occasionally, and exclamation of how nice the cake was.

Just as she set the knife down to take a break, she heard the twins calling from the left side of the room.

"Hey, Ri-chan! Get us more coffee, will ya?"

Rini was a little more used to their manners now, so the request didn't send her racing off to the kitchen like a scared cat. "Right away, sirs," she called back, and after wiping her hands on a towel, she started off toward the kitchen to start a fresh pot.

"Hey, and Ri-chan! We want that new South American coffee that got shipped in yesterday!"

_Uh oh. I'm not exactly sure where they put the new shipments._ Then again, surely it wouldn't be that hard to find. After shouting back an affirmation that she'd heard their request, she disappeared into the kitchen and started looking around for the coffee.

Not surprisingly, it wasn't where all the rest of the coffee was. Rini hoped that the twins wouldn't get too impatient while she searched around. Just as she stood up on her tip toes to look into the highest cabinet, she heard the sound of the door closing. Remembering that she'd propped the door open, she turned around to see if the door jam had slid out.

It hadn't. But Kyoya had slid in, and closed the door behind them so that the sound of the rock music disappeared. Rini felt her pulse leap in her chest.

"Kyoya-senpai! Wh-what are you-?"

"I suspected that you are not aware of where we keep our new shipments of South American coffee," Kyoya said, his voice mild and, in Rini's dogged opinion, completely in the ordinary. "I seems my suspicions were correct," he added, his eyes flicking to her empty hands. He began to walk toward her. "If you would, allow me to assist you."

Rini flushed. "Th-thank you, Kyoya-senpai." Rini was dismayed to see that, as being around Kyoya was more nerve-wracking than usual, her stuttering had gone up a notch. But the words rang a bell in her head.

"Oh, Kyoya-senpai! I haven't thanked you for your present yet!"

Kyoya paused, now just a few feet away from her, and gave her a pleasant smile, like the one he used on his clients. "It was no trouble," he assured her. "I'm glad that you made good use of it."

"But the company wasn't from Japan! Didn't you have to special order it and pay for shipping overseas?"

"On the contrary, the owner of the company was visiting in Japan, so I was able to purchase it from him directly."

Rini's eyes widened, making them seem bigger and bluer than usual. "Wow! I can't believe you bought it from the owner himself! I mean," she added hastily, dipping into a low bow, "Thank you so much, Kyoya-senpai! You've been too nice to me and I don't deserve it! I don't have any way to pay you back!"

Kyoya looked more amused now than anything else. "You don't have to pay me back," he said. "That's why they call it a present."

"But I can't just take it and not do anything for you in return! Besides, it's more than just a present to me! It's even more special because the one who gave it to me is you!"

Judging from the fact that this information was followed by silence on Kyoya's part, Rini thought that maybe she wasn't communicating her feeling properly. She continued, "What I mean is – well, with all of the things that have happened between yours and my family…it means so much…that you would be so kind to me. I mean…maybe I just don't understand what your family is really like, so when I say you're different then them, maybe I don't really-"

"Ms. Rini."

"Yes?" Rini asked hastily. Perhaps he was irritated with her babbling.

But then Rini noticed something strange. Kyoya wasn't looking at her. Though he was standing right in front of her, his gaze had shifted to the ground, and a slight crease had appeared in his brow. With how dimly lit the kitchen was, it was hard to discern his expression.

"Ms. Rini…there is something I have to tell you."

Rini blinked. Something he had to tell her? What did that mean? And why did Kyoya suddenly seem so ill at ease? He was the Shadow King after all – nothing was supposed to bother him.

Measuring each word carefully, Kyoya began, "Perhaps you have noticed that I have not been myself lately. Or rather, I should say, I have not been myself around you. I knew from the beginning that your acceptance to Ouran would mean that something would change. I also believed that I knew exactly what would occur from your very first day here. I am very thorough, and I rarely make any miscalculations."

To Rini's great alarm, Kyoya let out a soft, sad sort of laugh. "I should tell you, Ms. Rini, that my father would be even more ashamed of me now than when he discovered my participation in the Host Club. I was not raised to behave this way. In fact, telling this to you now goes against everything my father has taught me."

Kyoya nudged at his glasses. But there was no light this time to hide his eyes, and Rini could see his bitterness clearly. It reminded her of the day she'd fainted, when he'd revealed to the Host Club why the Ootoris wouldn't allow the Ikumis to seek financial aid from outside sources. Rini was a little nervous – after all the strange little things Kyoya had been doing since she met him, things that didn't seem to quite fit, he was finally going to tell her the entire story.

Kyoya's voice sounded low and heavy. As if he were speaking of a recent death. "Ms. Rini, you have told me before that I am not the same as my family. It is because of what you said that I am compelled to tell you, that I am indeed, just as much Ootori as they are. I would not blame you in the slightest if, after I am finished, you despise me just as much as your father does."

**Next chapter will be interesting. I had fun coming up with what all happens next. Hopefully for everyone concerned that Kyoya has been acting out of character, the next chapter will make it all a little more plausible. PLEASE review. I want to extend a huge thank you and a virtual ice cream sundae to everyone who has been kind enough to review thus far, and I'm sorry that I can't reply to everyone directly (or rather, that I'm inconsistent in doing so). **

** PS: ggaaahahhhhhhh...this story is NEVER going to end! djfis;iehg'efwefd;vfgo8ety923u'r[grhnv/szjf09weyf;9efi;ow8 **


	18. Chapter 18: Kyoya's Confession

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!**

**Number One: Please disregard any references I made to seasons in PAST CHAPTERS. Rini was supposed to transfer to Ouran starting in January (after New Years), but I know two chapters ago I said "Winter had officially arrived" or something like that. Nothing should have arrived per say - it was Feb, so they should've still been in the middle of winter. I AM SO SORRY FOR ALL THESE HUGE MISTAKES!!!!! **

**Number Two: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, story alerted, or favorited this story very very much! So far 91 people have favorited it and there are a ton of reviews. I can't tell you how happy and grateful I am for all of your wonderful feedback! At some point I'll try to compile a list of everyone who has reviewed so all of you can be recognized. Truly, it's a big honor for you all to be enjoying my work.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little different than the others, but I wanted to include all the flashbacks and I couldn't do that if it was from Rini's P.O.V.**

Chapter Eighteen: Episode Six, Part Three: Kyoya's Confession

_I wish she would stop looking at me like that. In fact, if I wasn't aware of her economic status I would assume she wore enhanced contacts._

"In the spring of my last year in middle school, my family built the hospital that your brother, Yuki, is a permanent resident of. At the time, I was not aware of the Ikumi case, at least not during the hospital's opening reception. I was merely under the impression that the Ootori Group was expanding and had built the new facility to keep up with technological advancements in medicine. Furthermore, I was too concerned with my own situation as the third son of the Ootori family to take any interest in my father's motivations."

Kyoya remembered that time in his life all too well. Cold and manipulative, he'd watched the world as if through the lens of a camera, memorizing people in snapshots and then calculating the benefits of associating with them. His one purpose in life had been to impress his father. Nothing else had mattered – not even finding his own happiness, or making real friends.

"One morning during breakfast, my father informed my two older brothers that there was an update regarding the Ikumi case, and that they both needed to report to the hospital later that day…"

_"Kyoya, I haven't told you about the Ikumi case yet, have I?"_

_Kyoya looked up from his tea. "No, sir. You haven't."_

_Mr. Ootori lowered his newspaper so that he could see his son's expectant face. "Two members of the Ikumi family contracted a rare, incurable disease that has only been documented in history six times previously. While the mother died while you were still young, the boy may be alive when you are old enough to join your brothers in the work force. There is a chance the Ootori Group will be able to take credit for solving the mystery of this disease."_

_Mr. Ootori's glare was sharp as cold glass. "Do you understand, Kyoya? Finding the cure to this disease will bring the Ootoris great prestige and the highest honor in the world of medicine, so it's essential that you and your brothers work toward the same goal."_

_Kyoya was intrigued. If there had only been six documented cases of this disease in the entire world, then why was it such a priority that it be cured? "Father," he asked, "What exactly is this disease? And what methods are being used in treating it?"_

_"That is strictly confidential information." Mr. Ikumi's newspaper rose up over his face again. "Until you have shown me you are more than capable to work in the Ootori Group, you will have to wait to hear the details once you're in medical school."_

_"Yes, Father. I understand." But the words set a blaze in the pit of Kyoya's stomach. He understood now that it was more important than ever that he do more than his siblings. But how could he? How high could he leap before someone knocked him out of the sky?_

_Unsatisfied, Kyoya reached across the table for a slice of bread._

_"Kyoya, today is the day that the Suoh's son is going to be transferring into your class, right?"_

"Of course, I met Tamaki that day and spent the rest of the year struggling to understand him, so I decided not to think about the Ikumi case for a while. Soon I was too occupied with the Host Club to even remember what my Father had said."

Kyoya smiled slightly, but it was merely an attempt at one of his Host smiles. He could tell by the look on Rini's face that she didn't buy it for a minute. How he hated the way he acted around her – and yet, it felt painfully good to act this way. Letting his emotions get the best of him, letting those eyes bore into him without being able to put up his shield – it felt strangely exhilarating, like he was falling off of a cliff to certain death and yet couldn't ignore how the wind felt on his face.

"Then, on New Years Eve of this year, shortly after Ouran's annual festival, my Father called me to his office. I assumed that I was about to be criticized for my involvement with the Host Club – you see," Kyoya added, "My father thinks very little of the Host Club and believes it should be disbanded – but instead, I was told something that I should have already expected…."

_"You are aware that Ouran gives out two scholarships every year, are you not, Kyoya?"_

_Kyoya stood impassively in front of his father's desk. "Yes, Father. But this year only one was awarded, to Haruhi Fujioka. I assumed the Chairman-"_

_"The other award was not given at the beginning of the year because the board could not decide between the two remaining candidates." Mr. Ootori's hands were clasped on his desk, and his laptop computer sat to one side. "The debate extended into the school year, and it was thought that they would simply postpone giving out the award until next year. However…they have decided to allow a transfer. The award has been given to Rini Ikumi, and she will be attending Ouran starting this January."_

_A light bulb went off in Kyoya's head. The one conversation they'd had about the Ikumi's came back in a rush. "Rini Ikumi? As in, the Ikumi case?" he asked. _

_"That's correct." Mr. Ootori's face darkened. "I want you to know something about Rini Ikumi. Since you are an Ootori, there is the possibility that she will try to manipulate you. In fact, I believe it was manipulation that she used to win the scholarship to begin with."_

_Kyoya's face remained the same, but inwardly he felt a spark of interest. Manipulative, hmm? That might be an interesting challenge. Kyoya knew he was exceptionally good at reading people, perhaps only guessing wrong in a few rare cases (Tamaki being one of them). Besides, he found a strange comfort in dealing with those kinds of people – because they were both clearly the same breed, but Kyoya could easily take his place as the alpha male due to his superiority. Such an incident had occurred with the newspaper club earlier that year._

_"I must warn you, Kyoya," Mr. Ootori said. "Rini Ikumi is known for her 'Innocent Act.' She may appear to be kind and honest, but I will tell you now – it is impossible that Rini or the rest of the Ikumis would ever feel anything but hate toward you._

_"Therefore, you need to be on your guard," Mr. Ootori continued past Kyoya's neutral face, "Make sure that you are aware of her whereabouts at all times, especially during school hours. There's a distinct possibility that if she knows you attend Ouran, she will find you and try to become your friend. And what," Mr. Ootori's glasses seemed so white and cold, "have I told you in regards to your friend and enemies?"_

_"Father…are you saying the Ikumis are our enemies?"_

_Mr. Ootori stared at him. They both knew that Kyoya had been expected to say "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer", since that was what Kyoya had always been taught. It seemed, however, that for reasons Mr. Ootori could only guess had to do with his little after school activity, Kyoya had gained some kind of independent thought._

_Mr. Ootori said, "Our contract it born purely out of necessity. Though you have never personally met the Ikumi family, I can assure you now that the Ikumis despise us, and as an Ootori, I expect you not to fall for any tricks that a woman might try to put on you. Keep a close watch on her. Find a way to make sure she stays under your control."_

_Mr. Ootori ended with a final, almost threatening sentence. "Don't disappoint me, Kyoya."_

_"Yes, Father. I will do as you ask."_

_As Kyoya left his father's study, despite the unresolved tension between them, he couldn't help feeling the strange, satisfied excitement that came with the dawn of a new challenge. Whoever this Rini Ikumi girl was, she would be no match for Kyoya Ootori. However she tried to act, or however she tried to befriend him, Kyoya would easily be able to beat her at her game. Deciding that after he finished his homework he would begin his research, Kyoya's mind spun as he began brainstorming ideas regarding how he would keep a close watch on Rini._

Kyoya was definitely avoiding Rini's eyes now. She looked quite horrified that Mr. Ootori had deemed her behavior the "Innocent Act" and called her manipulative. In fact, she looked so devastated by the information that Kyoya feared she was about to cry. But he knew that he needed to tell her the rest – for he hadn't even come to the true confession, the worst of the worst. The real reason that Rini had to despise him.

"I began to research you that night. I found photos, records, generic information, but none of it really giving insight as to how you might act around me. But then, after some digging, I found a file that contained an video recording of one of your visits to Yuki."

"What?" Rini gasped. "Someone was recording us?"

"If I understand correctly," Kyoya said, "They took the footage to make sure you weren't giving Yuki anything he shouldn't have. Apparently a treatment they were administering wasn't responding positively, so they thought he was being contaminated by outside sources."

Rini's hands flew to her cheeks. "You mean," she said, "I might have been stopping Yuki from getting better by bringing him food?" She seemed positively anguished at the idea. Her body shivered slightly, and Kyoya's eyes flicked briefly – involuntarily, in his opinion – to the quivering, insubstantial hem of her skirt before returning to watching her face.

"I doubt bringing in snacks has much bearing on Yuki's condition," Kyoya said. He didn't even have to doubt it – now, after everything he'd discovered, he could practically guarantee it. "In the video recording, I heard the conversation between the two of you and took the time to study you. Based on what I saw with your brother, I was able to hypothesize how you might try to act around me. I guessed that you would be overly humble, and overly grateful. I think it's safe to say that at least those presumptions were correct."

That smile again. It was getting harder and harder to pull it off. The solid wall that he used to be able to erect so well was quickly dissolving into a wavering barrier with the substance of plastic wrap. And he hated that Rini could see so far past his face – he'd already found this was but one of the many similarities she shared with Haruhi, but while Haruhi's perceptions never made Kyoya feel threatened, he constantly felt that if Rini looked just a little bit closer – or if he let his guard down just a little more – she would be able to see the raw, ugly center of him. Well, now he was saving her the trouble, and had decided to expose himself.

"From the information I gathered about you, I learned about your interests and the video gave insight into your personality," Kyoya said. "This led me to the conclusion that the best way to keep an eye on you would be to make you an employee of the Host Club."

Kyoya's body had gone quite still. His muscles were tensed to bare the impact of her reaction. When Rini kept silent, Kyoya felt compelled to elaborate. It was important that she understand everything that he had done.

"I knew I needed to make sure you were in Haruhi and the Hitachiin's class. I also had a discussion with the Chairman of Ouran, Tamaki's father, and convinced him to change the rule about students not being allowed to work. The fact that Honey-senpai and Tamaki were the ones to first mention the idea of you catering for the Host Club was simply a fortunate coincidence.

"Though it happened sooner than I'd expected, Haruhi and the twins brought you to the Host Club just as I had suspected they would. My first impression of you was that you seemed smaller in size that what I'd observed in the video recording. But then I saw your reaction to my name. And when I followed you here and attempted to thank you on behalf of my family, you interrupted me." Kyoya paused. "Not only that, you looked like you were terrified of me. You left the room as if you thought I was going to attack you."

Her voice coming out with a squeak, Rini piped up, "I'm sorry, Kyoya. About that, I mean. It was really rude of me-"

"Don't apologize to me!"

Rini flinched, and Kyoya instantly regretted his loss of temper. Why did she make him act this way? All his years of building up his ability to control himself, to show no emotion except polite decorum – and with this girl, it was all shot to hell. The last time he'd felt this upset and angry around another person was the time Tamaki had first visited his house in middle school.

In fact, judging from what he'd learned in being friends with Tamaki, he really should have been prepared to meet someone else that would take him by surprise. He should've known that someday, someone else would come along that would be able to derail his emotions just as effectively.

He realized that his hand had curled into a tight fist at his side. Concentrating, he took a deep breath and tried to make himself relax, but it was harder than he would've liked. There was still more for him to tell.

"I'm sorry," he finally said to Rini. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh…i-it's okay."

Really, she was a horrible liar. How Kyoya could have ever thought she had the ability to be manipulative was anyone's guess. It must've been because she didn't see her Father very much that he didn't know about the Host Club, otherwise he would've figured it out a long time ago.

"Would it be all right if I continued?" Kyoya asked. Rini nodded.

"Yes, please. Um, so you were saying that after I- uh, after I left the kitchen-"

"Yes, I remember. Having expected you to try acting weak and hapless around me, I was rather unsettled when instead you showed signs of fear. Though my family and I pride ourselves on our ability to intimidate business rivals, this was another matter entirely. I came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the research being conducted on your brother.

"So I spent that evening gathering more information…"

_"Kyoya! This time I'm going to make sure I get all of them into your drawers! Since I'm only here for a few days I'm determined to take those unorganized clothes of yours and-" Fuyumi stopped abruptly. The bundle of clean, unfolded laundry that she'd been carrying tumbled out of her hands and onto the floor._

_"Kyoya!" She hurried across the room toward Kyoya's desk. "Kyoya, what's wrong? Are you hurting somewhere? Do you feel sick?"_

_Kyoya's laptop sat on the table in front of him, while Kyoya himself had his face buried in his hands. His jaw was clenched so tight that he was shaking. He felt like he was either going to hit something or throw up. His fists were balled up in his hair. A pair of black headphones were plugged into the laptop and were now lying on the floor since Kyoya had violently wrenched them off his head just moments previously._

_"Fuyumi," he said, his voice low and shaking with suppressed rage. "Do you know anything…about the Ikumi case?"_

_Fuyumi became even more worried when she didn't understand. "The Ikumi case? Kyoya, what are you talking about?"_

_"Just listen." Kyoya swiped the headphones up off the ground and shoved them into Fuyumi's hands. Then his slightly trembling hand pressed the "Play" button on the audio recording. "This is a child Father is keeping in the new facility."_

_"Okay," Fuyumi said, her worry giving way to curiosity. She sat still for a moment and listened quietly. Kyoya turned away, and instead chose to scroll again through the open documents onscreen._

_The items were all strictly confidential – Kyoya had had to make a few calls to find a computer hacker skilled enough to allow Kyoya access to the files on his Father's personal network. But after some searching – and some careful decoding of passwords – Kyoya had identified a folder clearly labeled "The Ikumi Case". The folder was mostly full of doctor's write-ups and details about medications and medical procedures, but there were also more video clips and a number of audio recordings of Yuki Ikumi's sessions with the hospital's physiatrist._

_It was one such session that Kyoya was now making his sister listen to. She reacted as he had expected. Her eyes were wide with horror and they were already filling up with tears._

_"Kyoya!" she gasped. "What are they doing to that poor child?"_

_The audio recording – the sound of Yuki's high voice – echoing in his head, Kyoya's hands balled into fists, and he said with his teeth clenched, "Based on the evidence I have gathered, the best way to describe Yuki Ikumi's situation is a corrupt, underhanded violation of human ethics."_

"Do you know the kinds of things they put your brother through in that place?" Kyoya demanded.

Rini fidgeted with the hem of her skimpy shirt uneasily. "Well, I try to be with him whenever they're doing a test that scares him," she said. "But I don't know all the technical details. What did Yuki say on the recording?"

"I think it would be best if you didn't know. It was a confidential counseling session."

"Oh. Okay."

Kyoya was grateful that Rini refrained from pointing out that he himself had breeched that confidentiality anyway. He continued, "After that, I tried to convince myself that my Father was doing the right thing and that my fears were based on limited information – but the next day I lost control of myself. I'm only thankful that you weren't present to witness it. I was extremely bad tempered, and I even went so far as to try and convince the other members of the Host Club that you were manipulating all of us. Of course…I was quite aware by now that my father might be wrong about you, but it wasn't until the following day when you gave me your cake and said what you did that I knew for certain that I had been mistaken. You had been yourself all along. In fact, believe you are actually incapable of manipulation in any situation."

"Oh, well that's good," Rini said nervously. "But um…what was it I said?" She seemed almost apologetic that she didn't remember. Kyoya felt a pain in his chest – the one that had been plaguing him this entire month whenever he saw Rini. But once again, it was a pain that felt strangely good, a pain that a part of him enjoyed experiencing.

"You said that I wasn't the same."

"Oh, that's right!" Unconsciously, Rini crossed one leg in front of the other. Kyoya's eyes acted of their own accord and flicked down to the pale skin before he regained control. Luckily, Rini didn't seem to have noticed.

Kyoya felt like he'd just sprinted across Japan. "I'm sure you've noticed my behavior this month," he said quietly. "I've haven't been acting like myself. I spent an afternoon researching pastry chefs and hired a fashion consultant to inform me of the latest trends in ladies school bags. Last Wednesday I found myself almost dialing the number of a custom jewelry designer."

Rini gaped at him. "Y-you mean you were g-going to buy me jewelry? Kyoya-senpai, you shouldn't-"

"Are you saying I shouldn't give attention to the only female I have ever fallen for?"

Rini's mouth fell open. It was almost comical. Almost.

"I wanted to tell you everything," Kyoya said, his head bent, "So that you would understand…that I'm not really different from my Father and brothers at all."

"…Kyoya-senpai…"

Rini struggled to come up with something to say.

"I…that is…I-"

"M-M-M-MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!"

The door flew open with a bang, causing Rini to yelp and almost jump out of her skin. Rock celebrity Tamaki had tears streaming down his face, his hair was askew, and he was wobbling toward Kyoya like his legs were made out of cheese.

"K-K-K-K-Kyoya! Haruhi yelled at me because she didn't want to sing on stage! All I wanted was to have a touching song between father and daughter! Just a moment with her! That's all I wanted! Wh-wh-why is Haruhi so mean to her Daddy, Kyoya? Tell me! Kyoya, why aren't you saying anything?"

_…you couldn't have picked a better time to have a crisis?_ Trust Tamaki to barge in and interrupt one of the most difficult confessions Kyoya had ever had to make. And now he couldn't find out what Rini's response was. He'd just told her that he'd fallen for her. Kyoya didn't fall for _anybody_. He worked with beautiful girls every day – he'd even had a few moments alone with Haruhi over the school year, and he hadn't felt any of these annoying, restless emotions toward her. It just didn't happen.

Kyoya had always believed that even if he did ever fall in love, it wouldn't be like this. He'd expected it to be more controlled, more predictable, and more pleasant. He'd expected it to be some rich business owner's daughter. He'd expected it to be someone with a similar personality to himself – cool, clever, and poised at all times. He'd never really been interested in the idea of love – or really, of ever marrying and having a family – but if a woman had crossed his path that interested him in that way, he wouldn't have been completely opposed to the idea. He had been quite neutral. Until Rini Ikumi came to Ouran.

_Damn you, Tamaki. Damn you and your sniveling, whining, idiotic self._

"I was waiting for you to stop babbling. Moron." Kyoya almost shocked himself at how easy it was to return to his calm and collected self with Tamaki in the room. He turned to casually glance over at Tamaki, leaving Rini visibly gaping at his abrupt change in demeanor.

Tamaki, who was splayed out on the ground at Kyoya's feet, looked up at him upside down and said sorrowfully, "Is this it? Is the bond between Haruhi and I severed forever? Is there any way we can go back, Kyoya? Is there any hope at all?"

Kyoya sighed. "You're so melodramatic. Now, why were you trying to make Haruhi sing? If you recall, I believe we found out at Lobelia Academy that Haruhi in fact cannot sing."

"I know that. I only wanted her to lip-sync, but she wouldn't do that either." Slowly, Tamaki peeled himself up off the ground and then, blinking, glanced from Kyoya to Rini and back again. "Hey, what are you two doing back here together?"

Rini's face flushed, and she backed away from Tamaki hastily. "Oh, it was nothing," she said. "K-Kyoya-senpai was just…well, he was just-"

"We were trying to locate the South American coffee the twins requested." Kyoya walked calmly past Rini and reached up into one of the higher cabinets. The unopened box sat neatly on the top shelf, surrounded by the other shipments that had arrived the day before.

"Oh, I see." Tamaki seemed to accept Kyoya's explanation. Kyoya was grateful that Tamaki's brain didn't expand far enough to include the idea that Kyoya and Rini were doing certain unmentionable things in the dark by themselves. Or maybe Tamaki had just gone back to thinking about Haruhi.

"Well, we're all about to play our song for the for the ladies, so we need you onstage, Kyoya! Let's leave Princess Rini to her work!" Tamaki leaped to his feet and gracefully swooped over to Rini. "Princess," he said kindly, "You are doing an excellent job here. We appreciate you so very much."

"Thank you," Rini said nervously. Kyoya's chest felt uncomfortable again.

He grabbed Tamaki by the back of his shirt "-Come on, didn't you just say it was show time?-" and dragged him toward the door, Tamaki whimpering and whining the whole way. As the two of them emerged back into the Music Room, the sounds of Haruhi and the twins arguing brought with it a sense of normalcy, and it calmed him. This was the world he was comfortable in. This was what he was used to.

Dealing with whatever had developed between him and Rini was proving to be the most difficult challenge he'd faced yet. And the most painful. But then again, perhaps he was simply feeling the soreness and strain of exerting a muscle he didn't use very often. It was a simple, logical explanation.

_Damn it. Now what the hell am I going to do?_

**...so...that's that. Kyoya's feelings are all out in the open. How will Rini react? Hope you'll stick around to find out!**

***~Suki~***


	19. Chapter 19: Finally, Mori's Answer!

**Hey Everyone!**

**So in Episode 24 of OHSHC you didn't know Kyoya and his Dad were talking about the Ikumis before Tamaki was mentioned, did you? **

**I love that everyone is kind of claiming a 'side' of either Kyoya or Mori. It reminds me of that "Twilight" business where people pick either Edward or Jacob (...I am not a fan of that series. Just FYI). Anyways, whatever the outcome may be, I hope you enjoy the reading. This story isn't even close to over yet though so hopefully I'll still be able to surprise you!**

**This is a longer chapter than usual because I wanted it to end a certain way. Since I put in some extra effort the reviews would be even more appreciated this time around. Then again, you might all just want to kill me at the end of the chapter. **

Chapter Nineteen: Episode Seven, Part One: Finally, Mori's Answer!

"Well, I think today's Host Club entertainment was a complete success!" Tamaki smiled proudly as his eyes swept over the rest of the group. The last of the movers had just finished restoring the Music Room to its original state, and everyone had already changed back into their school uniforms. The only thing they had left to do was wash the temporary color out of their hair.

"And we even got Haruhi to lip synch after all!" the twins crowed, patting Haruhi soundly on the back. Haruhi glared at them.

"Hey, knock it off. I'm still mad at you," she said. "I wouldn't have agreed to it if the customers hadn't asked me to."

"Aww, Haruhi, don't be mad at us!" The twins wrapped their arms around her and began to nuzzle her face. "Forgive us, forgive us!"

Honey flopped down on the other couch and said happily, "Takashi, you were really good onstage. I didn't know you knew how to play the bass guitar!"

"I don't," Mori reminded him. "Tamaki was the only one actually playing."

Tamaki nodded, looking quite pleased with himself. "Yes, I think the girls were quite enamored with my 'rock and roll' arrangement of the Moonlight Sonata," he said. He swept his hair back with his hand and his face took on an expression of exquisite suffering. "Doubtless, they were swept away by my beauty as I poured out my soul into a ballad of musical expression! And with Haruhi's beautiful voice welling up from the bottom of her heart-"

"Senpai, it was lip-synching-"

"-our precious little kittens were transported to a world where romance harkens at the merest riff on the piano, at the sweetest note of a song, and the vision of handsome musicians exploding in a virtuoso of power and raw emotion-"

"Boss, we were just holding the instruments and pretending to play them-"

"This club is a total sham," Haruhi muttered, turning away. "Hey Rini, you'll get home in enough time to wash the color out of your hair, right?"

Rini nodded. "Yes, Papa usually comes home after I've finished making dinner. It should give me enough time." Feeling how tight her muscles were and looking forward to a warm bath, Rini picked up her school bag and waved to the Hosts. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Bye, Ri-chan!" Honey said happily.

"See ya in class, Ri-chan!" the twins said.

Haruhi smiled back at her. "Have a good evening, Rini."

"Thanks." Though she was able to give Haruhi a smile, the truth was she couldn't wait to get out of the school and onto the subway so that she would have some time alone to think. The Host Club had stayed busy and active the rest of the afternoon, and Rini had been running around most of the time refilling drinks and cleaning up the coffee the girls spilled due to the dim lighting.

She'd also spent most of the time trying to avoid both Kyoya and Mori. Even though Kyoya had been the one to give her the shock of her life in the kitchen, it wasn't like she could relax around Mori either. She felt so confused. None of this was supposed to have happened to her. She didn't have a history of attracting guys. Then again, both situations were different than a normal crush.

Finally cosseted in a solitary seat on the train, Rini leaned back in her seat and tried her best to sort out everything Kyoya had said. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around all the plans he had concocted and how he'd managed to access all that restricted information about Yuki. She supposed that getting secret information might not be so difficult if you're rich. It was really Kyoya's schemes – she cringed at the usage of that word, but she wasn't sure what else to call it – that showcased his intelligence. She hated to admit it, but it did seem like he was similar in that way to his father. Hearing about the discussions he and his father had made Mr. Ootori simply sound like a crueler, colder, meaner, heartless version of Kyoya. Which meant that, ultimately, there was still a resemblance.

Her fingers twisted into the hem of her sleeve. _No, Kyoya is different! I'm sure he is! He was brave enough to confess all of that to me, wasn't he? And even if he didn't have – well, the best intentions in the beginning – now he really wants to be friends with me. Or, well…something like that._

That was the kick in the teeth – Kyoya had very clearly said that he'd fallen for her. At least that explained all the presents. Perhaps that soft touch on the back too. Rini didn't really know how boys showed they liked a girl, but she supposed it might vary depending on their personality. With an endless supply of money and knowledge of Rini's likes and needs, it seemed pretty obvious that he would seek to meet those needs in the way he was most comfortable with. Rini was sure that in regards to buying things, Kyoya possessed very good taste.

Perhaps if there had only been Kyoya, she would have fallen for him right there and then…but he wasn't the only one she was worried about. Rini's heart still shook in her chest at the thought of Mori, but she had no idea how Mori felt toward her. His actions were just as confusing at Kyoya's. It must've been because they both had somewhat guarded personalities.

Rini wrinkled her forehead in concentration, and she attempted to rewind her inner videotape. That first day at the Host Club, Mori had caught her in his arms and then stared at her as if she were a ghost. Then he'd asked her about her necklace, and apparently tried some of her cake when Honey offered it to him. Then when she'd cut herself with the knife, he'd used his own tie to staunch the flow and then asked her if she was alright in that low, gentle voice. Rini's stomach still fluttered at the memory.

When Honey had lost Usa-chan and dragged Rini all over the school, Mori had been terribly upset that he wasn't there to help him, but had then hugged Rini and thanked her for doing what he could not at the time. Rini had chalked that one up to gratefulness as opposed to real attraction. But then when Renge had stormed the Host Club and demanded that Rini leave, Mori was the one who stood up to her and defended Rini by explaining her situation. And apparently after that, he was the one to carry her home, since when she'd woken up he was quite obviously in her house with Haruhi and Rini's family.

Since that day, nothing else had happened between them. Unless you counted the intensity of Mori's unblinking stare whenever she was within eyesight of him. But Rini tried to brush that off as simply being his normal expression. It was amazing enough that Kyoya liked her, so it must be impossible that two rich, smart, attractive guys could like her at the same time.

_But what if Mori is…him? _

It was like Rini was stuck circling around the same track, because thoughts of Mori always came back to that question. She'd already admitted that personality-wise, he fit the profile quite well, but that it was far too much of a coincidence that he be all the way in Sweden in the exact hospital she was on the night of her mother's death. And what about Honey? She knew by now that they were related, and since Mori rarely ever left Honey's side, Honey should have been in the hospital too. The boy had clearly been alone that day – in fact, she hadn't even seen his parents.

Rini closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the icy window.

_"What does your Mother have?"_

_Rini thought it was a little strange that the boy spoke so formally. Not to mention he was so serious. Even the way he sat was more disciplined than any other eight or nine year old she'd met. His back was very straight._

_Rini, on the other hand, was hunched over a little from fatigue, her legs swinging back and forth and making the skirt of her nightgown flutter. They had left the house in such a hurry, she and Yuki were still in their pajamas. Rini felt a little embarrassed that this stranger was seeing her in something so inappropriate, but at least she'd had a chance to grab a coat. _

_"We don't know what's wrong," Rini said. "But she's been in and out of the hospital for a long time. She and Papa are always talking about tests, and surgeries, and the 'Ootori Group'." Rini couldn't care less what any of that meant. "They even got Yuki and I tested to see if either of us have the same thing. We're still waiting for the results."_

_At the moment, Yuki was curled up and sound asleep on the seat next to Rini, with the strange boy's jacket draped over him. The boy didn't react much to Rini's words. She thought his clothes looked very formal too, and she wondered briefly if he came from a rich family. _

_"Um…by the way…um, thank you for uh…well, for saving me," Rini said nervously. She wasn't sure the boy had exactly needed to hit the man who'd yelled at them, but at least he'd stood up for her._

_"You're welcome," he said simply. Then he added, "I will protect you no matter what."_

_Rini blinked. What in the world did that mean? "Oh, um…thanks. Um, so what's your-?"_

_"-did it go with Mrs. Ikumi? I heard she was a special case."_

_Rini's whole body jerked as she whirled around. A few feet down the hall, two nurses were conversing with a third, the last of who looked quite grim. Rini got up on her knees to see them better. She knew they had to be talking about her Mom._

_The third nurse sighed. "We couldn't save her. It was basically a lost cause from the beginning, but the Ootori Group had their specialists here from Japan so they were determined to give the surgery a shot anyway even though it was so risky. Though to tell you the truth, I think even if we hadn't done the surgery she only had a few more days."_

_The other two nurses shook their heads. _

_"That's terrible…"_

_"I feel bad for the family…"_

_"It's so hard for children to lose their mother…"_

_Their voices drifted off down the hallway as they walked away, unaware that they had just made absolutely sure Rini was crushed to the depths of her soul. Her eyes were stretched to their full capacity. Every fiber in her body was shaking. There was a rock lodged in her throat that she couldn't swallow down. Her hands were clenching and unclenching the skirt of her nightgown. _

_She couldn't think. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe._

_Slowly, she became aware of the boy watching her. She hurried to turn back around and sit normally in her seat. She tried her hardest to maintain a calm expression. She even managed a shaky smile._

_"W-well…at least now we know s-so P-Papa doesn't have to b-b-break the news s-s-so suddenly…" She was already starting to cry before she even finished her sentence. She bit her lip and cursed her traitorous tears. It was important that she keep quiet so that she didn't accidentally wake Yuki. _

_But then, quite suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, and she was pulled into the boy's warm embrace. He was so tall and broad for his age that the heat from his body acted like an encompassing blanket. His arms were very strong. She could feel the muscles in his shoulders and chest._

_"If you want to cry, I will make sure that you don't break."_

_Rini gasped. Her body began to shake more violently. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay in control. Then, she heard the boy's gentle voice again, and a hand on the back of her head._

_"Your brother is sleeping soundly. He won't hear you." The boy cradled her head against his chest. _

_Rini bit her lip so hard she thought it might've stared bleeding. Then, throwing all further inhibition to the winds, she grabbed fistfuls of the boy's shirt in her hands and pressed her face into his chest, muffling the sobs that poured out of her like a storm._

_*******_

_Finally, after ten minutes of nonstop crying, Rini's head and stomach ached and she was sure she'd ruined the boy's shirt beyond repair, but she felt a little better than she had upon first hearing the news of her Mother's death. She said hoarsely, "I- I think I'll be okay now." Though she didn't really want the boy to let go of her, she was sure he was tired of her wailing._

_They separated. The boy didn't even look at his shirt to assess the damage. He simply stared at her, not willing to look away until he was sure that she wasn't going to start crying again. _

_Rini sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I have to be strong," she told the boy earnestly. "I-I have to be strong for Yuki and Papa. I-I have to take care of them both by myself from now on. And I have to make sure I get good grades so I can get a good job to help support us." But even as she spoke, doubt plagued her and she wondered if she would be able to do all these things that were now her responsibility._

_Suddenly, the boy said, "You are already strong. But if you do hard things, you'll become even stronger."_

_Rini had the idea that this boy knew something about strength. "R-really?" she asked. "Am I already strong?"_

_The boy nodded. Then, to Rini's surprise, he added, "But I'm still going to make sure I protect you."_

_Rini stared. "How?"_

_She watched with great confusion as the boy reached up for the black cord around his neck. He undid the clasp in the back and removed it from his neck. The bottom had been hidden in his shirt, but as he pulled it out, Rini saw a silver samurai sword swinging gently from his hands._

_He leaned over to her. "Wear this, and you'll have me with you wherever you go." He fastened the necklace around Rini's neck, taking special care not to accidentally catch any of her hair. Rini couldn't believe it. She never received such a special gift._

_Once he was finished, the boy pulled away and asked her, "Was your name Ikumi?"_

_"Uh, yes – it's Rini. Rini Ikumi. Um, and who are-?"_

_But the sound of slow, heavy footsteps down the hall interrupted her question. She spun around again. Her heart clenched painfully when she saw it was her Father. His face and posture was that of someone who had just lost their anchor. Someone who was nothing more than a ship drifting alone at sea._

_Rini stood up as her Father approached. He put his hands on his daughter's shoulders and tried to speak, gulping a few times to keep himself from breaking down again._

_"Your-your Mama-your Mama is-"_

_Rini wrapped her arms around her Father. "I know, Papa. It's okay." She could already feel her own strength. It was carrying her past the pain, past the misery, and allowing her to be the one to comfort her Father instead of the other way around. If her Father had been the one to break the news, she was sure it wouldn't have been the case._

_"Let's go home, Rini." _

_"Okay, Papa." She let her Father go so he could walk around to her side of the seats and pick up the still sleeping Yuki. Rini knew Yuki would be devastated when he woke up and they told him the news. She supposed it was only lucky that he hadn't spent much time with their Mother anyway – she had been sick so often that Rini had spent a lot of time taking care of Yuki herself._

_Just as she was about to walk away, she turned back around to thank the boy one last time. "I promise I'll keep this forever," she swore. And she meant it too. She was never going to take it off, not as long as she remembered the boy's face. _

_The boy stood up from his seat. He gave her one last soft, gentle look with those dark eyes, and one solemn nod of his head. _

Rini took out her key and unlocked the front door to the apartment. Of course, at the time she'd been too absorbed in her Mother's death to think about something practical like asking the boy for his phone number. She never even asked what he was doing at the hospital. Her family had found out soon after that Yuki was developing the same disease as their Mother, and that's when they'd decided to move to Japan so the Ootori Group could take full responsibility for Yuki's treatment.

She remembered the boy's eyes. His smile. His embrace. And they seemed so very similar to Mori's. Could he really be the boy after all? Is that why he'd looked so shocked when he first met her? Had he recognized her while she hadn't managed to recognize him?

She knew that she had to ask him. She just had to grit her teeth and do it like one would yank off a Band-Aid or jump off the high dive. Certainly, the only way she could decide how she felt about Kyoya would be to find out if Mori was the boy she'd been thinking about all these years. If he wasn't, then maybe she wouldn't be so attracted to him anymore and she'd be able to…well…to focus more on Kyoya. And if it turned out he was…well, she had no idea what that would mean, exactly, but at least she would know. She couldn't just leave things as they were now.

As she stepped into her long-awaited shower to wash the color out of her hair, she decided that she needed to come up with a plan. She needed to find a way to get Mori alone to ask him the question. It might be difficult since he and Honey came as a package, but perhaps if she found a way to distract him…

_"Ri-chan, Ri-chan! I wanna go meet Yu-chan too!"_

That was it. She'd take Honey and Mori to visit Yuki in the hospital. Then maybe she could find a way for her and Mori to run an errand while Honey and Yuki were together, and then she could speak to him privately and finally get her answer. She supposed this upcoming Saturday might be a good time.

Rini smiled as she grabbed the shampoo. She was definitely going to ask him the question. Finally, after a month of agonizing, and suffering from déjà vu and confusion, she was going to ask Mori if he was the one she'd been waiting for these last eight years.

*****************************************************

"I hope Yu-chan likes the cake I brought him!" Honey said, beaming from atop Mori's shoulders as they walked through the hospital corridor. Rini was leading them to Yuki's room, and even though she'd already tried her best to prepare Yuki, she was still afraid that Honey's energy would end up frightening him.

"…oh, and if he wants you to hold his stuffed bunny Usa-chan, go ahead and take it," Rini had explained the night before in Yuki's room. They had just finished eating dinner when Rini broke the news. Yuki, to Rini's dismay, looked quite intimidated at the idea of meeting another Ouran student. Especially one that needed this much of an introduction.

Yuki pulled his blanket up to his chin, and his legs curled underneath the covers. "You said he was a third-year? Why does he take naps and carry a bunny around with him?"

As if she knew the answer to that. Rini laughed nervously. "I'm not really sure why he does that. I think it just makes him feel more comfortable." Noticing that she really wasn't helping Yuki feel any more at ease, Rini added quickly, "But Mori-senpai will be coming too. You remember him, don't you?"

Yuki's eyes lit up at the mention of Mori. "Mori's coming?" he asked excitedly, sitting up in his bed.

"Usually he and Honey-senpai are always together," Rini explained. "But the first time you met Mori-senpai was a special case."

Now Yuki was smiling. "I like Mori. He'd make a really good big brother. And I liked Haruhi too. Is she coming?"

Rini shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure she has to take care of the house on the weekends. Besides that, we all got a big assignment that's due on Monday."

"Oh. Okay." Yuki looked a little disappointed, but it only lasted for a moment. "Well, then I guess if Honey is with Mori it'll be okay." Then, to Rini's surprise, Yuki suddenly changed the subject. "Papa still doesn't know about the Host Club, right?"

Rini shook her head slowly.

"And he doesn't know about Kyoya Ootori?"

Rini jumped at the sound of that name. Yuki noticed her reaction right away. "What is it?" he asked. He reached out instinctively and grabbed her hand. "Did something happen?"

"No, no, it's not like that," Rini babbled, quite aware that her behavior made Kyoya seem even more suspicious. "No, Kyoya's really been very good to me, and he pays me much more than a regular salary. Oh, that reminds me, would you like to hear about the cake I made the other day? It was pretty out of the ordinary."

Yuki smiled, and Rini breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, tell me," Yuki urged, snuggling back down in his covers. And Rini had been able to avoid the subject of Kyoya for a while longer until Yuki fell asleep and it was time for her to leave.

_I'm so nervous. I'm really, really nervous. Think, Rini! Isn't there anything interesting you can say when Mori is walking right here next to you?_ She had to admit, Mori was as devastatingly handsome in out-of-school casual wear as his school uniform or any Host Club ensemble. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt underneath a puffy black and purple vest, along with black jeans and one very small, glinting silver ring in his ear. Rini felt incredibly uncool next to him, but there really wasn't anything she could do about her clothes. She refused to use the money she made at the Host Club to buy herself anything fancy – instead she was privately saving it, so that once she'd accrued a sizeable amount she could present it to her Father to help with Yuki's expenses. It would help to cushion the blow of confessing that she'd been deceiving him the whole time about her after school activities.

Honey clutched Usa-chan to his chest. "This is gonna be fun! I like meeting new people!" Honey said cheerfully.

"I'm glad," Rini said hesitantly. "Um…but uh, Honey-senpai…listen, I should tell you that Yuki will probably be a little shy at first."

Honey looked confused. "Why would Yu-chan be shy around me? I'm not scary," he said. "Is it because I'm rich?"

"Um, well, not exactly…" Rini wasn't sure how to explain. Honey was used to other people considering him adorable and sweet. He might not understand that Yuki might be intimidated by his good looks instead of attracted to them, and then Honey might end up with his feelings hurt.

But before Rini could elaborate, Mori spoke for the first time since greeting Rini when they'd picked her up at her house in their limo.

"Mitskuni – do you remember when we met Usa-chan's friends at the mall?"

_Usa-chan's friends? What's he talking about?_ But Honey seemed to understand what Mori was saying immediately. His face brightened.

"Yeah, I remember! That was the day we went to the commoner's festival!" Honey squealed. "When we went to the pet shop we saw all kinds of animals. And in one of the cages there were a whole bunch of cute little bunnies."

"And do you remember that we had to be gentle with them so they wouldn't be afraid?"

Comprehension dawned on Honey's face. "Oh yeah," he said. "I remember. When the man let us feed them we had to be really careful not to scare them! And so we sat really still, and put our hands in the cage, and then the bunnies sniffed us and then they started eating!"

"That's right. Yuki is like one of those rabbits in the cage. He might be scared at first, but if you're gentle with him then he'll understand that you want to be friends."

Honey smiled. "Okay, I get it now! He must really like you then, Takashi, cuz you're really good with animals! Hey, Ri-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rini said quickly, ducking her head in order to conceal the sentimental moisture that had just sprung up in her eyes. She felt her necklace swinging. "I just…I wish Mori-senpai had been Yuki's doctor."

They had finally reached Yuki's room – it was on one of the highest floors, since he was a long-term patient and because it was important that his treatments remain confidential. There had even been a period where Rini and her Father were forced to shower and change into germ-proof suits before entering Yuki's room, and they hadn't been able to bring Yuki anything from home. Luckily, the doctors had managed to confirm that Yuki's disease had little to do with outside contamination, so they had taken away the restrictions and started allowing Yuki short visits home.

Rini tried to settle her nerves. She knocked gently on the door and then opened it slowly and poked her head in. "Yuki, are you awake?" she called softly.

As it turned out, Yuki was sitting straight up in bed and had the television on a drama station, though he looked like he hadn't really been paying attention. "Rini!" he greeted her, reaching for the remote and quickly turning off the TV.

"I've brought some company," Rini said, pushing the door open wider and stepping into the room and out of Honey and Mori's way. She gestured to the former. "Yuki, this is Mitskuni Haninozuka, but I just call him Honey-senpai. And you've already met Mori-senpai."

Honey stared at Yuki, his shock silencing him. Rini felt her stomach plunge sickeningly. Why did Honey look so shocked? He'd already known that Yuki was really sick, and Rini had especially made sure to tell him that Yuki looked malnourished even though Rini was always bringing him food. So why wasn't he saying anything? Rini could see that Yuki was starting to crumble at the sight of Honey's undisguised surprise.

But then, just as Rini was about to open her mouth to save the situation, Honey's face exploded into glee and he exclaimed, "Wow! You're really pretty for a boy, Yu-chan!"

Rini's jaw almost dropped. Yuki balked. Mori didn't do anything except stand in the doorway, but Honey took a running leap and catapulted himself onto Yuki's bed, nearly scaring the daylights out of Yuki and causing him to yank his legs back in self-defense.

"You look exactly like Ri-chan!" Honey squealed. "Your eyes are really really blue! And your skin is way smoother than mine is! If you had long hair and you were wearing a dress, you could be Ri-chan's little sister! You're super cute!"

Yuki looked absolutely terrified of Honey, but at the same time he also seemed quite surprised that anyone would ever use words such as "pretty" or "cute" to describe him. "Th-thanks," he stammered. "You're really cute too."

Honey beamed. "Thank you!" he cheered. "Would you like some cake? I brought lots because Takashi says we need to get you your color back and fatten you up!"

"Fatten me up?" Yuki said nervously, wrapping his arms around his bent knees. Honey leaned in closer so that his face was only a few inches away from Yuki's.

"Can I touch your hair? It looks really soft," Honey said.

Yuki blinked. "Uh, sure. Go ahead."

Honey crawled over to Yuki's other side so he was sitting right next to him against the headboard, and then reached up with one small hand and began petting Yuki's head very softly, as if Yuki were a quivering rabbit he was trying to soothe. To Rini's surprise – she had been panicking up till this point, since Honey's reaction had come so unexpectedly – after a minute Yuki did actually seem to relax a little bit. Maybe it was because the motion felt familiar to him, since Rini was always stroking his head or rubbing his back.

Mori stepped into the room, and Yuki brightened considerably. "Hi, Mori!" he said.

Mori inclined his head. "How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty good," Yuki said. "They didn't do any tests today so I don't feel sick or anything."

"Well, that's good cuz Ri-chan made a great big bento for all of us to share!" Honey announced, sounding quite excited that he would get to eat more of Rini's cooking. Rini had been carrying the said bento the entire time, and she had set it on Yuki's nightstand temporarily while she got out the folding table so that they could eat.

"Yu-chan, can I sit on the bed and eat with you?" Honey asked excitedly.

"Um, yeah," Yuki said. He seemed a bit more at ease with Honey now both of them had gotten used to each other. "And if you feel sleepy after we eat lunch, you can stay and take a nap with me too. Sometimes I eat so much of Rini's food that it puts me in a food coma and I end up falling asleep."

Honey beamed. "That sounds great! I always take afternoon naps anyway!"

*************************************************

"Aahhh…that was super delicious, Ri-chan."

"Yeah, it was really great, Rini." Yuki and Honey were propped up against each other like puppies after devouring the meal Rini had prepared for them.

"Takashi really liked the domburi – he ate almost all of it all by himself!" Honey said of Mori, who was sitting in a chair across the small table from Rini. Sure enough, once Mori had tasted the first bite of Rini's food he hadn't stopped eating until the entire thing was finished.

Rini breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been afraid that she'd end up making something Mori didn't like, since the only thing he'd ever tried of hers was cake. She even gotten up the courage to approach Haruhi on the subject while they ate their lunch together that Thursday.

" 'What kinds of foods does Mori-senpai like?' I'm not really sure," Haruhi said. "He's never really mentioned it before."

"Oh. I see." Rini tried not to show her disappointment. Haruhi looked at her curiously.

"Are you planning on making a meal for him or something?" she asked.

"Well, I'm taking Honey-senpai to meet Yuki, and so of course Mori-senpai is coming too," Rini explained. "I wasn't sure if there was something particular I could make that Mori-senpai really likes."

To Rini's surprise, Haruhi suddenly smiled. "Oh. Well, in that case, you'd probably be safe if you just went with something traditional. Maybe some nice sushi, or maybe some kare raisu, and some fish and vegetable dishes."

"Thank you so much, Haruhi," Rini said gratefully. Haruhi just gave her a knowing smile.

"It's no problem. I'm sure that Mori-senpai would be happy with anything you cooked for him."

Rini was glad that Haruhi had been right – it seemed that Mori had sufficiently enjoyed himself. It had been a nice, relaxing meal, and Rini was glad that there had been enough for everyone. After eating the dessert Honey brought, he and Yuki were now settling down in Yuki's bed to watch a movie on TV.

"Mmm…all that cake made me a little thirsty," Honey piped up suddenly. Rini got to her feet.

"Would you like me to go buy you some milk, Honey-senpai?" she offered. Honey smiled gleefully from where he lay.

"That would be great! Thanks, Ri-chan!"

"Would do you like something too, Yuki?"

Yuki thought about it for a moment. "I'd like milk too, please," he said.

Rini turned to Mori. "Mori-senpai?"

To her surprise, instead of answering, Mori stood up. "I'll come with you," he said instead. Rini's pulse leaped sporadically.

"Oh, okay," she said a little too quickly. This was it. Mori himself had provided the opportunity for them to be alone together. Was he planning on saying something to her? Or was he just going because four drinks might be too much for her to carry by herself?

Mori opened the door for Rini. "Thank you," she said. Unlike the time with Kyoya, she felt no light hand on the small of her back. She turned and called to Honey and Yuki, "We'll be right back, you two."

"Okay!" they said. Rini smiled at the sight of Honey snuggled up next to Yuki, holding Usa-chan under one arm and his thumb already drifting toward his mouth, while Yuki's eyelids were starting to droop and he was swathed up in one of his heavy blankets with just his head, hands, and feet poking out like a turtle. Mori closed the door quietly, and the two of the headed to the elevator so that they could take it to the tenth-floor cafeteria.

In the elevator, Rini tried her best to fill the silence. "Well, I'm really glad Honey and Yuki are getting along so well. They looked really sweet together in Yuki's bed like that."

"Yeah."

Mori's tone didn't leave much for conversation. Rini shifted uneasily. Should she ask him now? For some reason he didn't look particularly comfortable either. He'd seemed like his normal self in the room with Honey and Yuki, but now he was staring straight ahead like he was trying to discourage interaction. Rini felt disheartened, and wondered if she should just forget about the whole idea. But then, what was she going to do about Kyoya? And would not finding out the truth about Mori make her like him any less? Somehow, Rini doubted it.

As they stepped out of the elevator into the busy lunch-hour cafeteria, Rini asked tentatively, "Um, Mori-senpai, have you ever been to Sweden?"

Mori glanced at her.

"I went once when I was nine."

Rini tried her best to remain calm.

"Oh, really? H-how did you like it?"

"Mitskuni enjoyed himself," Mori said. They went over to the refrigerated section and they each took two milks.

"Oh! So Honey-senpai went with you?" Rini felt her heart sink. So it couldn't have been him after all – otherwise Honey would have been there with him. But Mori had just said he'd been to Sweden when he was around Rini's age – what were the chances of that? Maybe some unusual circumstance had separated them for a short period?

Suddenly, Rini heard a woman's voice shout, "Tohru-chan, watch out!"

Rini spun around just in time to see a seven or eight year old boy who had been running with a tray of chicken noodle soup trip over his shoelace, and send the bowl of piping hot liquid flying in Rini's direction. The boy yelled, the mother gasped, Rini flinched –

Mori swooped in from behind like some large bird of prey, wrapping his arms around Rini and crushing her to his chest to pull her backwards just in time to avoid what would've been a ruined shirt and a nasty scalding. The breath was expelled from Rini's lungs in the moment she was yanked by those impossibly strong muscles, and her entire body experienced a wave of heat when Mori held her against him. He bent his body to meld to hers, to cushion the force of being slammed into him so suddenly. Rini shivered uncontrollably as her hair brushed against the skin of his neck.

The boy's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm s-sorry," he blubbered from the floor. His mother hurried over to extract him.

"I'm so sorry about that," she said as she pulled her son to his feet. He buried his face into her shirt and started crying. Rini still wasn't capable of coherent speech.

Mori's deep voice sounded right in Rini's ear, coupled with the warmth of his breath. "Are you all right?"

"Yes – thank you," Rini managed. She expected Mori to let go right away, but instead she heard his gentle voice again.

"I will protect you no matter what, Rini Ikumi."

_It's him! _

_It's really him! _

_That's exactly the same thing he said before! I don't believe this!_

Her thoughts spilled out of her mouth before she was even done processing. "M-Mori-senpai," she stammered. "Y-you were there the night my Mom died, weren't you?"

For a moment, Mori was silent. By now the mother had alerted one of the cashiers of the soup on the floor, and the boy had stopped crying quite so loudly. Then Mori said:

"Yeah. I was there."

Rini's brain imploded.

"Rini."

"Yes?" Rini gasped.

"I promise that I will keep you safe. But dating you is something that I do not want to do. I will not ever ask you to be my girlfriend."

**.....like I said. Don't kill me. Otherwise we'll never know what happens next. Oh, and if anyone knows why the fanfiction community started using the term 'cliffie' let me know, because it seems to get made fun of a lot in those 'how to to write a (insert name) fanfic' stories (along with the term 'zomg' and lots of exclamation points). The next chapter should be coming up soon.**

**Best to all my livid readers,**

**Suki**


	20. Chapter 20: Kyoya, the Dark Knight

**WAZZZZUP????? Long time, no posting! **

**I did say I would finish this story. No, I did not expect that I would leave it for three months. Nor do I swear that I will update right away or in a timely manner. What can I say, it's college. But I am supremely glad that you are reading this message right now, because that means that you might still be interested in this story! In which case, thank you so much! It might take me longer than I'd wish, but I promise someday this story will get finished! (Maybe by then a second season of Ouran will be out. That would be awesome!)**

**Anyways, I am sorry that I went away for a while. Hopefully this breakthrough means I will get into a writing groove again. All right then, finally I shall resolve that cliffhanger I left you with this whole time (WARNING: MUSHY ROMANCE AHEAD). **

**I hope you enjoy! Thanks again!**

Chapter Twenty: Kyoya, the Dark Knight

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LOUSY TWINS! THIS TIME YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!"

"Geez, Boss, you're so dull," the twins jeered, crossing their arms and eyeing the furious Tamaki coolly. "What are you getting so worked up for?"

Tamaki looked like he has steam coming out of his ears. "You were trying to take Haruhi's clothes off! Admit it!"

"That's where your mind's going?" Kaoru demanded.

"Wow, you really are a pervert!" Hikaru said. Off to the side, Haruhi rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Guys, c'mon, knock it off. We have to finish getting ready-"

"Haruhi, I love you!" Tamaki cried, rounding on her and sweeping her off her feet. "Daddy's never, ever, ever going to let those shady twins touch you like that again!"

"Senpai, I can't breathe-!"

"It was an accident," the twins said, sidling up to Tamaki and the suffocating Haruhi. "We didn't mean to pull her belt loose. We thought she'd tied it tight enough."

"That's settles it! I'm going to tell Kyoya that we're not going to cosplay with robes ever again! Where is Kyoya, anyway?" Tamaki scanned the room for a second, and his eyes lit upon Rini, who was busy placing napkins on all the tables. "Oh, Princess Rini! Have you seen Kyoya come in yet?"

Rini jumped, and then after recovering from hearing the name, shook her head. "I haven't. Sorry, Tamaki-senpai."

Tamaki's face screwed up. "Why isn't he here? Why is this happening? WHY IS OUR FAMILY BREAKING UP? IS THIS THE END OF OUR TENDER GENERATION???"

"Relax, senpai." Haruhi patted Tamaki on the back apathetically. "I'm sure Kyoya-senpai is just taking care of some business. Or he could be getting an update from Honey and Mori-senpai."

Beside the third table, Rini flinched again. She wasn't sure which name it was harder to hear, but whenever anyone mentioned Mori or Kyoya, or even Honey, her body tensed and she strained to hear everything that was said about them. At least for Mori and Honey, she didn't have to worry about being in the same room with them. She hadn't seen Mori since that day in the hospital.

Rini had never been so depressed – even when her Mom had died, she had taken on the role of caregiver quite easily, and it had allowed her to shove her grief to the back of her mind so she could look after her father and Yuki. But she couldn't do that this time. For the past two weeks, she had been completely suffused in grief, unable to deal with what Mori had said. At the time, she had been able to keep it together long enough to cut the visit short, kiss Yuki goodbye, and take the subway back to her house alone. She had only just managed to make it inside the house before she burst into tears.

Then, two days after the visit, Honey and Mori had announced that one of their cousins was getting married in Spain, and so the entire family was flying to Europe for three weeks. Rini couldn't believe that they were missing that much school, but Honey explained that they had a video system set up so that they could watch their classes on the Internet. They had left that evening, and Rini hadn't spoken with either of them since.

Well, perhaps it was all for the best. Rini felt like a part of her had died when Mori rejected her. She didn't even care about the reason anymore. It was bad enough that she had been waiting for him this long, but then for her to actually meet him again, and for him to tell her that there was no way he would ever ask her to be his girlfriend…well, Rini could say that she was grateful for the separation. Otherwise, she would be crying every day instead of every few evenings.

And she also wouldn't be able to face Kyoya. She could definitely sense that Kyoya knew something was going on, but Rini doubted that Mori had filled him in on the details, and Rini was doing her very best to avoid being with Kyoya for more than a few minutes. He acted as if nothing had happened between them, and she pretended to do the same. She wondered if he regretted confessing his feelings to her as much as she regretted hearing Mori's.

It had occurred to her that perhaps Kyoya would be willing to listen, if Rini wanted to talk about what had happened. He might drop his calm, charming act and show his true feelings again. But Rini wasn't sure if she could make herself that vulnerable to him. Or what if his feelings had changed? Maybe in these two weeks he'd had time to reassess the situation, and upon closer inspection had decided that he hadn't really fallen for Rini after all? After Mori's words, Rini could find absolutely no reason why he or Kyoya would be interested in her.

_It's just like I thought…there's no knight. I'm not anybody special._

The door opened quietly. Tamaki whirled around and gasped.

"Kyoya, you're here! It's going to be all right, everyone! The family's coming together again! We're saved!"

"Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai aren't due back for another week," Kyoya reminded his calmly, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. His cool eyes surveyed the group, and he said pleasantly, "Mori-senpai tells me that they're doing fine. Honey is enjoying the exotic sweets, and they've been spending most of their time sight seeing when they aren't involved in the wedding preparations."

Rini and Kyoya's eyes met as he finished. Rini flushed, and turned away hastily, pretending to smooth out a napkin. Funny that he'd looked directly at her just as he'd said "wedding preparations."

It was terribly confusing – Rini should have only been thinking about Mori, and yet she found herself thinking about Kyoya just as frequently. They shared space in her mind, alternating throughout the day. Sometimes all Rini could think about was the hospital visit, and sometimes she would find herself obsessing over some tiny conversation or pleasant smile that Kyoya had given her at the Host Club. She'd figured that Mori would be all she'd be able to think about. Maybe it was because Mori had disappeared so soon after. It had given her some space, a chance to cool off so that her mind wouldn't be completely focused on him.

It was helping her to get over him. Slowly but surely, she knew she had to. There was no point in clinging to the hope that he would change his mind – because Mori simply wasn't the type of person who did that. He was solid, and his words were like stone. That was what made the few words he said so significant. Since he'd said it, it was true – he might have been the one she'd been waiting for, but whatever he was waiting for, she wasn't it.

Which left Rini's thoughts to drift back to Kyoya. Maybe he didn't feel the same two weeks later, but he had openly confessed to falling for her. Did he still feel the same now? Was he holding off because he could sense she was unhappy?

Miserably, Rini felt a wave of despair engulfing her again. Just when she thought she would be able to handle seeing Kyoya, he'd show up, and it would be like a slap in the face. And then he'd glance at her with those eyes, so different from Mori's and yet just as powerful…in a much more subtle, secretive way…

Rini wasn't sure there was a chance Kyoya would ever bring his confession up again. But on the off chance that he did…Rini was sure what she would do. She slipped off into the kitchen, thinking herself unnoticed because Tamaki and the twins were bickering again.

But Haruhi saw her. And so did Kyoya.

***********************************************************************************************************

Rini was changing out of her costume in the dressing room when suddenly Haruhi asked, "Hey, is everything okay, Rini? If you don't mind my saying," she added, trying to sound concerned but not too nosy, "it looks to me like you've been kind of down lately."

Rini laughed nervously. Even she knew it sounded fake. "I-I'm all right. Just a bit tired lately, is all."

"Don't push yourself too much," Haruhi warned her. "Otherwise you'll end up fainting, and we'll have to take you home again."

Of course, that reminded Rini of Mori. He had been soon kind to her then. He'd carried her the whole way himself, laid her down in her own bed, read to Yuki and helped change her Father's opinions about rich people. And she and Haruhi had cooked dinner together, while Yuki asked Mori what shoes he wore and what he ate for breakfast…

"Rini? Hey, what's wrong?" For it was very clear that something was dreadfully wrong. Rini could feel Haruhi's gaze, and she stared at Rini's trembling lip and shaky hands.

Rini could barely squeak, "I'm all right." She bent her head down low, as she grabbed her bag. "Have a good weekend, Haruhi."

"Rini, wait-!"

But Rini dashed out of the room, hurried past the twins who were blowing raspberries at Tamaki, and thankfully didn't see Kyoya in her perepheral vision as she left the club room and closed the door behind her. She had to get outside, where the early sunset had already made the sky dark.

Her mind told her she needed to hurry to get to the subway, so she could take her normal route home. But she couldn't bring herself to go home. Not just yet. Even though she knew she'd have some time to herself before her Father got back, she didn't want to have to face him, to tell him that school was fine, everything was normal, and nothing in her life had changed. Her life had been turned upside down. She wished she'd never come to Ouran Academy.

Her feet led her to the sidewalk. Home was at least ten miles away. She knew it was crazy to be going by foot, and she knew there were only two more chances to take the bus before the route to her house ended for the night. Which meant that if she got too tired, she would be stuck – because she wouldn't call her Father to come and get her. That would definitely let him know something was wrong.

For the beginning of spring, it was still very cold. Rini shivered in her sweater, noticing with dismay that one of her pockets had pulled slightly loose during the day. How long had she been walking around looking like a complete slob? No wonder Mori had rejected her – she knew her sweaters with holes in them would cost her.

_That's not it, stupid Rini. He just didn't want you. And that's all there is to it. And you could never be anything that Kyoya needs either._

She was convinced she was right. It made the tears stream even faster. A lone car passed by her on the road, its red taillights glowing, and blurred in her vision. Her fingers felt numb from the cold, and she knew that her feet would start to hurt by the fifth mile. But her heart didn't care. All it wanted was a chance to cry and wallow in misery. She hated that even after two weeks, she was still this confused and upset.

Suddenly, as she crested a slight hill, she saw a car parked on the other side of the road. It looked suspiciously like the one that had passed earlier. It looked big, and it was rumbling loudly.

Rini wrapped her arms tight around her body. It was just because it was dark – that's why she was so nervous. She was sure the person had just stopped to make a phone call, or maybe they were lost and consulting their directions. If she just kept walking and ignored it, the person probably wouldn't even notice she was there.

"Hey, Lolita, you need a ride?"

Rini's head snapped up. The front window was down, and the driver was leaning out the window. He looked like he was in college. His hair was bleached orange and he was wearing a basketball jersey underneath a sports jacket.

Rini wondered wildly for a second why he had called her a Lolita. But then she realized that, because her school uniform was so puffy and frilly, she must've looked like she belonged to that particular trend. It certainly wasn't a normal high school uniform. Ouran could afford to be extravagant.

"N-n-no thank you!" she called nervously. She hoped that a polite response would be enough to make him go away.

"But it's cold out here. You're little fingers are gonna freeze off." To Rini's horror, the guy popped open his door and jumped out of the car, landing hard on his white sneakers. He ran to catch up with her, and grabbed her shoulder to stop her from walking.

"Come on, just get in the car. We'll go to a café and I'll buy you a drink. Unless you'd rather hit the hard stuff," he added suggestively, grinning at her. "Doesn't really matter if you're not eighteen-"

"I'm fine, thank you," Rini insisted. She attempted to back away. "Excuse me, please-"

"Going to meet your boyfriend?" he said, taking a gigantic step toward her so that he was just inches away from her fluttering chest. "I think you should make him wait. And I bet I'm a lot more fun too."

Rini heard another car approaching from behind. Maybe she should try to flag it down – or she could make a dash for the middle of the road and hope that the car would stop so she could ask for help. Or maybe if she went along with this guy and they went to a café like he said she could pretend she had to use the bathroom and then-

"You know, you're pretty cute." The boy's hand reached up and grabbed her chin. Rini started trembling. The boy was still grinning, as if her fear was somehow amusing. "Forget about that guy. Come hang out with me. I'll show you a good time. And if he calls then you can tell him-"

"You can inform him that if the ignorant fool does not proceed back to his own vehicle immedietly, he will be charged with assault, which will ultimately result in prison. Or at the very least," Kyoya added pleasantly, his subtle aura glowing with insidious danger, "A mark on his criminal record and a restraining order. This is, of course, in addition to the measures I will personally take to ensure you never go near Rini again."

The boy's eyes narrowed angrily. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he demanded. He dropped his hand so at least Rini could turn around.

It seemed like Kyoya had just miraculously appeared. Like some kind of night demon. Common sense told Rini that he must've been in the approaching car, and that he had asked the driver to park somewhere out of sight. But the sight of him walking toward her, tall and slim and strong, his glasses catching the pale light of the street lamp overhead, was enough to send a burning warmth scorching through her chest. Somehow, he had known she was in trouble, and he had come here to help her escape.

Kyoya calmly answered, "I am Kyoya Ootori, third son of the Ootori Group. And you are Mizuki Toma, a delinquet, who dropped out of high school and spends his time stealing cars and luring defenseless girls off the street. That license plate," he indicated, ignoring Toma's shock and disbelief, "has a tracking device on it. It belongs to one of my family's employees, and as part of our contract we provide security services for their vehicles and even their own families. You were unlucky enough to pick the wrong person to steal from, Mizuki Toma. We Ootoris do not like what is ours being taken from us."

In his last stride, Kyoya stepped up behind Rini and, with a firmness that contrasted his pleasantries, swept his arm around Rini's shoulders and pulled her close to his side. Rini cowered there, willing herself to stop shivering, feeling the pulse of his heartbeat through the contact of their bodies. Toma was backing away slowly, his head whipping left and right, as if he expected armed gunmen to leap out from behind the houses and ambush him.

"You should go home." Kyoya's suggestion didn't leave room for argument. "I believe your mother is ill, and she is in need of your care. I will have someone pick up the car tomorrow morning. If we find that you have destroyed it, please be assured, you will not enjoy the consequences."

With a squeak of his white sneakers on the pavement, Toma turned and sprinted back to his car, flying to the seat and slamming his foot onto the gas. Without bothering to fasten his seatbelt, he tore off down the street, still looking left and right to make sure no one was going to shoot at him. Tires shrieking, he turned sharply to the right and in a matter of seconds he disappeared. The sound of his erratic driving gradually faded into the distance.

Meanwhile, in Kyoya's arms, Rini was sobbing. She was sure that if he hadn't come something terrible would have happened. Toma would have locked her in the car, and driven out of Tokyo to a deserted back alley or an empty warehouse and then…and then…

Kyoya held her tight, his long arms completely encircling her. "Rini, why were you walking alone after dark?" he demanded. "There are dangerous people who would not hesitate to hurt you. I was only able to locate you because of the tracking device that's implanted in your cell phone-"

"K-K-Kyoya-senpai," Rini said miserably. "I'm so s-s-sorry for everything! I-I couldn't give you an answer or anything b-because I thought M-Mori-"

"I know, Rini. You were in love with him."

Rini gasped. Her head jerked up, exposing her tear stained face. "H-how did you know?"

"It's enough that I know." His grip tightened on her, pressing her into his warm, pounding chest. "As it is enough that I have seen the unbearable sadness you have felt since he left." He almost sounded angry, as if he blamed Mori for making Rini unhappy.

But all Rini could think about was that he had noticed. He had been watching her. He had rescued her. He cared. He wanted to hold her in his arms. She meant something to him.

And of course, Kyoya Ootori meant so much to her. From the moment she'd first his name, he had slowly revealed himself to be everything she'd hoped he would be. Impossibly brilliant, exceptionally gifted, and yet buried deep beneath the surface, so raw and emotionally human that it was as if his feelings could reach out and intermingle with hers. As if they were bonded, and it transcended all that had happened between their families.

"Let me take care of you."

Rini's eyes widened. The angle was such that no light could be reflected. She could clearly see Kyoya's face. The pleasant expression had long since melted away, and his calm had given way to charged emotion. He held her as if she were his most prized possession, and stared into her eyes as if he wanted to touch her soul.

"Allow me to make you happy," Kyoya said earnestly. "I will do everything in my power to give you whatever you wish. And I will make sure that your Father doesn't know about us."

"Kyoya-senpai…"

"Please, just Kyoya. I am not your superior in this matter." His hand moved up her back, and his fingers slipped into the silken wisps of her hair. The warm skin of his palm touched her neck. Rini's back arched.

"Kyoya." She tasted the name on her tongue. It felt like a kiss. "I…I would be…so…so _happy_…if we could be together. If you could always hold me…just like this."

It seemed to take a moment for Kyoya to accept what she was saying. Then, suddenly, without any warning, Kyoya started to laugh.

"Rini!"

He laughed loudly, happily, as he picked her up off the ground and spun her through the air. "I am strangely unable to inhibit myself in your presence! My Father would be ashamed of me. Well, I suppose now both Tamaki and I are a couple of idiots."

"I won't tell him you said that," Rini promised. Her arms had somehow gotten wrapped around his neck, and she couldn't believe it felt so wonderful. She snuggled into Kyoya's chest. "Will we keep this a secret from the rest of the Host Club too?"

"Yes," Kyoya agreed. "We don't want to give the twins any leverage. However…" And here, Kyoya gave Rini another gentle, loving squeeze, "a few extra sojourns into the back kitchen could prove to be quite…_interesting_."

**...so then, will Rini and Kyoya stay together in a blissful relationship? Phooey, this is only the middle of the story! There's more to come! I would love reviews, but then again, you might be so mad at me for not posting in so long that I could understand. :)**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~* **


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